Adeptus Mechanicus
The Adeptus Mechanicus controls a great deal of manufacturing and developement resources in the Imperium. While the Adeptus Mechanicus is a part of the Imperium, it has developed seperatly and enjoys a considerable degree of independance. Most significantly, the Adeptus Mechanicus follow a different religion from the Imperial cult and its derivatives.
Contents
Origins and History
Early History
The birthplace of the Adeptus Mechanicus was the ancient Forge World Mars. Mars was colonised early in human history, and developed seperatly from Terra in both cultural and technological lines. The arid surface of Mars was terraformed, and under a man made atmoshpere the colony flourished.
During the Golden (dark) Age of technology, the two empires of Terra and Mars co-existed, to the mutual benefit of both. At the height of its splendour during the Golden Age, and even later in the anarchic Age of Strife, Mars dispatched hundreds of colony fleets into the void. Many perished in the terrible Warp Storms that engulfed the galaxy at that time, but others survived. Those who did founded new worlds in the name of the Machine God, building on them a likeness of the great factories and Temples of their distant homeworld.
The Age of Strife brought an end to the glory and peace of the human domains. Across the galaxy mankind suddenly turned upon itself, as a new breed of warp attuned humans emerged. Civil war engulfed thousands of human worlds, even the twin Empires of Terra and Mars. On Mars many warring factions vied for power, and a brutal war was waged using arcane and unimaginably destructive weaponry. The carefully constructed atmoshpere was burned away, and once more the surface was exposed to the deadly radiations of the Sun. The terraformed environment, that had teemed with life, was rendered barren again. The combatants now fought in the same red hued wastelands that the first colonists had found. Much of the population retreated underground, as any who were not equipped with a radiation suit could not long survive on the surface.
Religion
The Cult of the Machine teaches that mechanical devices, in their perfection of function, are a higher form of being than evolutionary organisms. For this reason, adherants of the Cult often undergo extensive bionic and cybernetic augmentation throughout their lives. It is widely beleived that this process produces an effect on the psyche parallel to the physical, and the thought processes and emotions of the subject become increasingly machine like.
The central diety of the Machine Cult is a referred to as the Machine God by the unlearned, a culmination of all the machines in existance. The Adeptus Mechanicus believe that all technology is inhabited by a Machine spirit, a lesser aspect of their central diety. A reasoned approach would suggest that they are mistaking the primitive remnants of AI, found in most Imperial technology, for something spiritual.
The Cult Mechanicus await the arrival of the Omnissiah, a prophesised physical avatar of the Machine God. During the Great Crusade the forces of the Emperor liberated many of the forge worlds founded as colonies of Mars in ancient times. On his arrival at many of the worlds, the Cult Mechanicus recognised the Emperor as the long awaited Omnissiah, however with his ascension of the Golden throne at the dawn of the Imperial Age this belief was largely discredited.
The Quest for Knowledge
The Universal Laws
| Intellect is the Understanding of Knowledge
+++ Fourth Universal Law +++ |
| Sentience is the Basest Form of Intellect
+++ Fifth Universal Law +++ |
| Understanding is the True Path to Comprehension
+++ Sixth Universal Law +++ |
| Comprehension is the Key to All Things
+++ Seventh Universal Law +++ |
| The Omnissiah Knows All, Comprehends All
+++ Eighth Universal Law +++ |
| The Alien Mechanism is a Perversion of the True Path
+++ Eighth Universal Law +++ |
| Flesh is Fallible, but Ritual Honors the Machine Spirit
+++ Fifteenth Universal Law +++ |
| To Break with Ritual is to Break with Faith
+++ Sixteenth Universal Law +++ |
Organization
Hierarchy
- Fabricator-General
- Magos
- Logis
- Genitor
- Artisan
- Electro-priest
- Techpriest Enginseer
- Runepriest
- Transmechanic
- Lexmechanic
- Servitor (also referred to as Helot)
The universal term for an Adept of the Adeptus Mechanicus is Techpriest. This name covers all manner of Adepts, from Electro-priests to Enginseers, but does not usually cover the higher ranks of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Military Forces
- Skitarii: The footsoldiers of the Mechanicum
- Praetorian Servitors: Bodyguards and shrine-keepers
- Adeptus Titanicus: The Titan Legions and the Knights
- Ordinatus: Leviathens of metal, purpose-built for destruction
Other Information
Adeptus Mechanicus quotes is a list of quotes made by various people with regard to the Adeptus Mechanicus.
