108,447
edits
Changes
From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
→Description
The Ancestor Cores were created long ago for the original [[Human]] mining fleets from the primogenitors of the [[Leagues of Votann]]. These fleets, setting out long before even the [[Age of Strife]]{{Fn|6}}, were given advanced thinking machines to give them wisdom and aid for what they would require for their missions. Over the millennia these cores have been changed, becoming ponderous and senescent, yet remaining potent repositories of knowledge.{{Fn|2a}} Despite their mysterious nature, they are still far and above any type of [[Cogitator]] or [[Robot]] within the [[Imperium]] in cognitive power.{{Fn|6}}
Today, each [[League (Votann)|League]] secretly possesses one and they are referred to as the [[Votann]], to hide the Ancestor Cores' true nature to outsiders. This is because they are central to the Leagues' way of life and the Ancestor Cores' self-organizing [[datastack]]s datastacks and quantum infocores, hold all the information a people might need to survive among the stars. These include weapon specifications, military theory, genealogical data, science, philosophy, and even [[Standard Template Construct]]s.{{Fn|1}}
Because of this, the Ancestor Cores are as sacred to the Leagues as gods are to more spiritual races and no Squat would hesitate to lay down their lives to protect the Votann. This includes against the [[Imperium]] itself, for if the secrets of the Ancestor Cores were ever revealed to the [[Galaxy]] at large, it would shatter the uneasy peace the two allies have with each other.{{Fn|1}}