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{{LOVPortal}}
[[Image:Votann Ancestor Core.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A Votann Ancestor Core{{Fn|1}}]]
'''Ancestor Cores''' are ancient [[Wikipedia:Quantum Computer|Quantum computers]]{{Fn|66a}}, which contain gestalt repositories of unimaginable inherited wisdom and knowledge.{{Fn|3}} Central to the [[Squat]] civilization, the [[Leagues of Votann]] refer to them as '''[[Votann]]'''.{{Fn|1}}
==Description==
Ancestor Cores are artefacts of immense knowledge and power that held the collective wisdom of the [[Squat]]s, and the means to adapt them for galactic challenges. The [[Ironhead Squat Prospector]]s{{Fn|3}} and [[Leagues of Votann]] are known to possess such devices.{{Fn|2a}}
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|66a}}, 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|66a}}
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 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}} Ancestor Cores even oversee the creation of both organic Kin as well as mechanical [[Ironkin]] via [[Cloneskein]] [[Crucible (Leagues of Votann)|Crucible]]s and [[Forge (Leagues of Votann)|Forges]] respectively.{{Fn|66a}} Upon the Death of any Kin, be it organic or iron, they are "reunited" with the very Ancestor Core that oversaw their initial creation. Their memories and knowledge are uploaded into the Votann, expanding their race's collective knowledge as a result. To the Kin, this final act is also seen as the individual living on to join the rest of their ancestors, making it the closest thing their culture has to an afterlife.{{Fn|66a}}
Because of these reasons, 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}}
The Kin may be contributing to the decline of the Ancestor Cores. The Cores have long borne responsibility for regulating the genomic data required to breed each new generation of Kin, even as the race has grown exponentially. Most demanding of all, they have also accepted into themselves the accumulated and often duplicated data of endless generations of dead Kin and [[Ironkin]]. While originally an act of practicality, in recent millennia it has taken on a ritual element that has seen huge amounts of information overload the minds of even the most advanced Votann.{{Fn|2b}}
The Kin have tried a number of solutions to remedy the problem, including mechanical augmentation as well as physical and quantum enlargement. Some of these modifications were requested by the Votann themselves.{{Fn|66a}}
==Known Ancestor Cores==
*'''VeRD-4n''' - [[Trans-Hyperian Alliance]]{{Fn|4}}
*'''Sk-43''' - [[Trans-Hyperian Alliance]]{{Fn|4}}
*The [[Somnant]] - [[Urani-Surtr Regulates]]{{Fn|6b}}
*[[Ironhead Ancestor Core]]{{Fn|5}}
*The [[Mad Core]] of the [[Emberg-Aegnir Bloc]]{{Fn|2b}}
*{{Endn|4}}: [[The High Kâhl's Oath (Novel)]], Chapter 5
*{{Endn|5}}: [https://archive.ph/hgpAP Warhammer Community: Ironhead Squat Prospectors – Designer’s Notes] ''(Saved archive page, dated 27 December 2024, last accessed 3 July 2025, original link: https://www.warhammer-community.com/en-gb/articles/oxivyziy/ironhead-squat-prospectors-designers-notes/)''
*{{Endn|6}}: [[Codex: Leagues of Votann (10th Edition)]], **{{Endn|6a}}: pgs. 16-17**{{Endn|6b}}: pg. 30
[[Category:Pre-Imperial Times]]
[[Category:Leagues of Votann]]
[[Category:Technology (Leagues of Votann)]]
