5,745
edits
Changes
From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
m
no edit summary
It was believed that this group was the driving force behind their civilisation and were responsible for developing their technology as well as directing the different castes. There is even some speculation that both [[Orks]] and [[Gretchin]]s may have been specialised [[mutant]]s that were deliberately created by the Brain Boyz to serve certain duties, though it believed that the truth of this will never be known for certain. Regardless, it is known that the Brain Boyz died out long ago and the Orks inherited their civilisation to the point that this ruling caste become little more than legend. According to Orkish beliefs, the Brain Boyz died from a great plague which ran across many centuries that caused their numbers to dwindle and eventually led to their extinction. It is believed that this caste was aware of their falling numbers and took steps to preserve their knowledge by engineering it into the genetic structure of their slaves. This lasting legacy allowed the Orks to retain their high level of technology in later years by way of artificial strands of DNA which contains knowledge imprinted in their metabolism that allowed the Orks to live following the demise of their masters.{{Fn|1}}
[[Snotlings]] are also thought to be remnants of this lost race. It is believed that the underground cave fungi, which the Snotlings are symbiotic with, caused a genetic mutation in their brains. Over the generations, the Snotling brains developed to their full potential due to this fungus, and this intelligent lost race of Snotlings (Brainboyz) eventually developed Ork-kind, with the [[Gretchin]] as an intermediary development. These less intelligent creatures were fed [[Squigs]] rather than the intellect-enhance enhancing fungus the Brainboyz consumed. However, over time the Orks began to question why such diminutive creatures were giving order, and began to acquire the special fungus for themselves. This fungus did not have an effect upon Orks, and without the fungus, the Brainboyz eventually regressed into a juvenile state. The Orks, as crude and harsh as they were, now the most intelligent of their kind and inherited the civilization of the Brainboyz.{{Fn|3}}
== See also ==
