Changes

The Emperor prepared extensively for the Great Crusade; he created the special [[astrotelepath]] corps to link his eventual dominion together, and built the [[Astronomican]], a supremely powerful signal device powered by the Emperor's own psychic might that would allow simplified and safer travel through the Warp. Chief amongst his designs, however, was the creation of superhuman warriors, the logical extension of the gene-troopers already under his command. He had first undertaken the [[Primarch Project]], the creation of twenty infants from his own genetic code, designed to mature into powerful generals for his armies. However, this plan went awry with the intervention of the Chaos Powers. Other sources state that the Emperor's longtime collegue and fellow [[Perpetual]] Erda cast the Primarchs into the Warp to deny the Emperor his plans for them.{{Fn|30}} While accounts vary as to exactly what happened, the end of the tale is always the same; the [[Primarch]]s were cast into the Warp and thought lost.{{Fn|4}} During the tumultuous event, the Emperor's gene-lab was devastated by the forces that scattered the Primarchs. He held up the collapsing underground roof with his psychic power until the vaults workers and data could be safely evacuated.{{Fn|29b}} Afterwards, Malcador and [[Constantin Valdor]] believed the Primarchs dead or corrupted. However, the Emperor sensed their echoes in the [[Warp]] and knew they were still alive. Malcador was surprised that the Emperor began to refer to the lost Primarchs as his "sons", something Valdor saw as an "ebb" in his attempts to suppress his human emotions.{{Fn|29a}}

With the final abatement of the Warp storms began the Great Crusade. The Emperor's forces rediscovered human worlds, cast out alien oppressors, and claimed new territory aplenty. Perhaps most importantly, the Emperor, leading his crusade, rediscovered his lost sons, the Primarchs. Scattered throughout space, the infants were found one-by-one over a period of many decades, and reunited with their father and their kin. All were placed in command of the Astartes Legions created from their respective [[gene-seed]] and played their part in forging their father's Imperium.{{Fn|3c}}{{Fn|5}}

[[Image:God-Emperor.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Emperor upon the [[Golden Throne]]{{Fn|1a}}]]

*{{Main|Golden Throne}}

Now, his will is interpreted and executed by the [[High Lords of Terra]], his worship is regulated by the [[Ecclesiarchy]], his law enforced by the [[Adeptus Arbites]], his form guarded by the [[Adeptus Custodes]], and his people protected from the horrors of the Galaxy and from even themselves by the [[Inquisition]]. The Emperor is confined within the Golden Throne, vast biomechanical machinery forming the great Sanctum Imperialis, located deep within the continent-spanning complex on Terra known as the [[Imperial Palace]]. There the Emperor's physical form is sustained by carefully maintained machinery. Physically, the enthroned Emperor of Mankind is a ravaged corpse. The last surviving cells in his shattered body are sustained by the Golden Throne, providing an anchor for the Emperor's spirit, which extends across the entire Imperium. The Emperor and the Golden Throne continue to function through the daily sacrifice of thousands of Psykers. While his body is sustained, his will endures. His existence is said to be an unending torment, with his every thought enslaved to the task of ruling, guiding and protecting his race. Ultimately it is only his will to endure that allows him to survive, as he knows his death would lead to the destruction of the Imperium and leave mankind without the guidance it needs to survive.{{Fn|2}}

==Sources==

<div style="column-width:24em;column-count:2;font-size:85%">

**{{Endn|1a}}: pg.I

*{{Endn|2}}: [[Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader]], pgs. 135–138

**{{Endn|3c}}: pg. 175–176, pg. 177

**{{Endn|3d}}: pg. 184–191

**{{Endn|5a}}: ''Collected Visions'', pg. 2-3

**{{Endn|5b}}: ''Collected Visions'', pg. 8-9

**{{Endn|5c}}: ''Collected Visions'', pg. 27

**{{Endn|5d}}: pg. 367

*{{Endn|10}}: [[Inquisitor: The Thorians]], pg. 4

*{{Endn|11}}: [[Vengeful Spirit (Novel)]], Chapter 16

*14: [[Master of Mankind (Novel)]]:

**{{Endn|14a}}: Epilogue

**{{Endn|24a}}: Chapter 19

**{{Endn|24b}}: Chapter 23

*{{Endn|26}}: [[The Last Church (Short Story)]]

*{{Endn|27}}: [[The Board is Set (Short Story)]]