Astropath

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An Astropath (portmanteau of "astro" and "telepath"[1a]) is a specially-trained psychic servant of the Imperium belonging to the Adeptus Astra Telepathica. Capable of sending and receiving psychic messages across interstellar space, they form the Imperium's vast communications network, and are vital for keeping its widely scattered worlds connected.[1a]

History

An Astropath[11]

The history of the Astropaths has been filled with strife.

Training and binding

Astropaths are psykers collected by the Imperium's Black Ships; their powers are considerable, but they lack the mental strength to resist the dangers of the Warp.[2a]

They are trained at the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, where they undergo years of training (taught how to use the Emperor's Tarot, how to cast horoscopes, and the practices of cheiromancy [palmistry] and augury of all kinds[8]) and extensive indoctrination. At the end of this period, they undergo a techno-arcane ritual known as Soul Binding.[1b][2a][2b] They prepare for months, fasting and praying; then they are brought a hundred at a time in procession to the Emperor's Palace and the ritual takes place[2b]. They kneel before the Emperor and he himself (being the only psyker powerful enough to complete such a task) reshapes their very minds.[1a]

On one hand, Soul Binding shapes their powers, allowing them to safely interact with the Warp and to broadcast messages through it[2a], preventing them from being tainted by the Warp[2b]. They resist more easily than other psykers daemonic possession and powers and they are even less prone to the Perils of the Warp.[2c] In fact, after the ritual they are linked to the Emperor[2b] and their new abilities are a result of the combination of their powers with a fraction of the Emperor's.[2a]

On the other hand, Soul Binding is not an absolutely safe measure, so Astropaths still face the risk of succumbing to daemons[3a]. In addition, during the ritual they must endure several hours of agony[1a], resulting in real trauma[3a]. In general, all have their personalities altered to some extent[1a]. Touching the mind of the God-Emperor himself is also such an intense sensory experience that it completely overloads their sensory organs, to the point that some of the Astropaths are killed or driven insane during the process. Those who survive are permanently blinded and most of them even suffer from nerve damage, which results in a loss of smell, touch, or hearing.[1c][2b] Although blinded, Astropaths make up for their sensory impairment with the help of their psychic abilities[2a]; they develop a sort of "near-sense", which means that few of them choose to have mechanical eyes implanted[1c]

Psychic abilities

Helicta Chemin[32]
Main article: Imperial Psychic Powers

Although Psychic powers are in fact limitless, Astropaths usually develop some techniques along three major disciplines: telepathy, divination, and telekinesis.[2c]

  • Telepathy is the art of mental communication and influence and is the most important power possessed by Astropaths.[2c] With telepathy one can contact any other mind in order to provide it with information; it can be used as a mere mean of communication, or as a form of domination and control.[2d]
  • Divination deals with time flow. With it, a psyker can retrieve information thanks to a thorough reading of the traces people and their actions leave in the Warp.[2e] It can be used to perceive someone's personality and goals[2e] or to collect hints to be interpreted about future, present and past events.[2c] To put these powers into action, the most widely used medium is the Emperor's Tarot[2e]; instead, some psykers indulge in more barbaric rituals, such as reading the entrails or casting bones.[3a]
  • Telekinesis makes a tool out of a mind and turns thoughts into force.[2c] The forces produced in such a way by the psyker can be used to lift and move objects (weight, speed and precision depending on psyker's abilities and techniques), to protect from attacks or even to deal damage.[2f]

Astral Telepathy

An Astropathic Choir from Space Marine II[31]

Sending a Message

Astropaths' long-range communication ability (sometimes referred to as astro-telecommunication[4a] or Astrotelepathy)[4c] is superior to that of common telepaths.[2g] In fact, after Soul Binding Astropaths are able to use the whole Warp as a medium[2g] and communicate with others of their kin[3b], being in fact the only psykers capable of doing so.[3a] The whole process of sending and receiving messages cannot be done instantly, but requires concentration, meditation and freedom from distraction: a message can take up to five hours to be sent at an interstellar distance.[2g] In order to prevent the Warp from changing or damaging data, messages are quantified and encrypted during sending; however, even if precautions are taken, messages still suffer from disturbances.[2g]

A message travels through the Warp in a time whose length depends on target's distance: messages sent to targets belonging to the same orbit are received instantly, while Astropaths in the same system or in a nearby one are reached in minutes; on the other hand, communications between Subsectors require hours, those between Sectors take weeks, and inter-Segmentum messages reach their destination in months.[2h]

Astropathic messages can travel along what are referred to as Astropathic Ducts.[39][41] Hundreds of pathways for interstellar messages crisscross the Imperium and consist of worlds with psychic nodes and Astropathic Relay Stations where these local astropath facilities send, receive and pass along any message-visions received. Astropaths acting as receivers for messages are often kept in a restrained dream-like state on life-monitoring systems, overseen by other staff to monitor the life-signs of the astropath(s). Convulsions and bleeding from orifices is typically considered within tolerances for an astropath receiving messages.[41]

In order to enhance their own chances of sending messages in a fast and secure way, Astropaths form Astropathic Choirs[2h] - a method established during the Forging.[4b] In a Choir, each chorister lends a fraction of his or her power to the choir which it is used like a wave to buoy the message into the warp.[5] In this way, even Astropaths that are not strong enough to achieve a communication alone can prove useful if gathered together[5]; it is, however, known that weaker Astropaths participating a Choir are exposed to a higher risk of Warp perils.[2h] Astropathic Choirs are commonly found in Astropathic Relay Stations, a kind of techno-arcane installation placed on major vessels or a planet within a major star system: they are facilities conceived to aid and boost Astropaths' powers. Relays are usually equipped with improved detection devices (i.e. Dispersal Scoops) and Warp protection devices (i.e. Hexagrammatic Wardings).[2h]

Message Contents

A message is not sent in a literal form as the uninitiated would understand them. Rather, Astropaths send psychic imprints of symbolic meanings and metaphors. The Warp is itself a realm of dreams, symbols, and emotions, and only through utilizing this could such forms of communication be possible. These dream-visions are received by another Astropath, who usually cross-checks their own interpretation of the meaning with others to ensure accuracy. Once the message has been authenticated, the Astropaths then work to translate the vision and write a physical message on a Data-Slate or other similar device or surface. Even this is often still not written in standard text, but rather coded so that only those officials with the proper security clearances can decipher it. Despite the symbolic nature of Astropathic messaging, it is nonetheless able to deliver very concise and detailed reports.[33]

A wolf runs over snow under moonlight, swift and silent. Blood drools from its jaws, falling as rubies which glitter as they tumble. The hot heat of fire and the bitter taste of rage in the moment before the blow lands. Iron on the tongue. The coughing whimper of a dying child. The falling rubies break moonlight into hard geometries: nonagons, triangles, curves drawn to hermetic ratios. There are four vultures on a mountain, pulling ropes of innards from dead eagles. One of the vultures raises its head. Its eyes are silver crescents in black, and when it opens its bloody beak its call is that of the wolf running swift over snow with rubies of blood falling from its teeth…

~ Part of the original Astropathic message detailing Horus' betrayal at Isstvan III, as first viewed by the original Astropath.[33]


Horus and XVI Legion in rebellion against the Imperium and Emperor. Fulgrim, Angron, Mortarion with the III, XII, and XIV Legions allied with Horus. Loyal elements of those Legions believed slaughtered on Isstvan III.

~ The final product of the Astropathic message detailing Horus' betrayal at Isstvan III, after translation by its Astropaths.[33]


Sending messages is a physically gruelling task for Astropaths, particularly if the event in question is traumatic or violent. Bleeding from the nose and extreme fatigue afterwards is not seen as concerning.[33] In extreme cases, particularly for events involving mass Chaos disruption, Astropaths will simply die where they stand, descend into madness, or even become possessed by Daemons.[34a][34b] The Tyranid effect dubbed the Shadow in the Warp is also known to be deadly and maddening for nearby Astropaths, while the Necron Pariah Nexus will render them physically ill.[36]

Duties and assignment

The Imperium stands as a coherent entity thanks to Astropath networks[1a]; their availability is thus vital for any activity that requires communication and coordination - be it an administrative issue or a military one.[2a] So, the Imperium has a great demand for Astropaths[2b] and they can be found nearly everywhere. Being the most important ones, they account for the vast majority (over 90%) of psykers who serve the Imperium.[1a]

Those rare individuals who climb the ranks of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica are placed in charge of Astropathic facilities and choirs. Some are even made itinerant emissaries, officials of their Adeptus or servants of the Inquisition, Imperial Guard or Imperial Navy.[2b] Astropaths are also prized by Rogue Traders, since they are capable not only of sending messages at great distances, but also getting in touch with Xenos; serving Rogue Traders, Astropaths' responsibilities are even higher, because they are often no more than a handful in a fleet - possibly one for each vessel.[2b]

Appearance and Gear

An Astropath's uniform is a hooded robe or habit and a waist-belt.[1c] They keep their personal belongings in a sling bag, often adorned with religious motifs.[1c] Green (or any variation of it) is the colour that symbolises the appartenance to the Astropath status.[1c] Despite this, other colours have been known, such as the orange-red robes of Alen the Seer.[12]

As a result of the Soul Binding ritual, Astropaths are, as a rule, blind.[1c] Their blindness can affect their eyes in different ways, from disturbing whitened globes to scarred empty eye sockets.[2a][9] Some Astropaths without eyes use dark plasflex hemispheres to cover their empty eye sockets.[9][13]

Even if they endure Warp risks thanks to the Soul Binding ritual, Astropaths are often taken to madness since they are over-exposed to gruesome visions and haunted by eerie presages about the future, so they appear as tormented wretches on the verge of doom.[3a]

Known Astropaths

Images

Trivia

TriviaScrollTrans.png

The following information is not to be regarded as officially sanctioned and/ or is not written from an in-universe point of view. A detailed explanation of the term "Trivia" as used in the Lexicanum can be found here.

The Astropath in Talisman: Timescape[40]

An Astropath entered the Timescape through a Warp Gate in Reality, and sought the Crown of Command as one of just two confirmed characters to appear in Talisman: Timescape from M41.[40]

See also

Sources

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