The Treaty of Olympus Mons (also Treaty of Olympus or Treaty of Mars)[3] was a diplomatic agreement between the Imperium of Man and the Martian Mechanicum binding the former to the latter in 739.M30.[2]
Overview
The Treaty was signed shortly after the Emperor landed at Olympus Mons on Mars at the dawn of the Great Crusade,[3] calling for unity and displaying seemingly supernatural powers over machinery, repairing a Knight instantly with a mere touch.[1] His displays of immense knowledge and power upon his arrival shocked the Tech-Priests present to their core, solidifying the idea that he was the avatar of their god incarnate in many.[3] Many on Mars began to consider the Emperor the Omnissiah, the Machine God incarnate.[1] This moment has been deeply ingrained into the Cult's dogma of the present day.[3]
The Unification Wars on Terra left the nascent Imperium severely in need of supplies. The Emperor brokered a deal between the Imperium and Mechanicum, the latter becoming a client-state of the former.[2] In exchange for their support in the many crusades across the galaxy, the Imperium of Man would not interfere in the internal structures of the Mechanicum and allowed them to continue their beliefs in the Cult Mechanicus,[1] allowing for an unprecedented amount of autonomy in the Imperium.[2] Alongside this, any technological discoveries would automatically fall under the jurisdiction of the Mechanicus. In exchange, the Cult of the Machine produced and manufactured the wide amounts of weapons, ships and other tools and supplies necessary for the survival and fuelling of the Great Crusade.[1][3]
Other stipulations included the banning of certain practices and lines of research. This would lay the foundation of the highest forms of tech heresy, known as the Orders of High Heretechnica. The Emperor, who by leveraging the authority obtained by being perceived as their god incarnate, restricted large amounts of certain subjects of knowledge. This heretechnica on on all forge worlds would be locked away and restricted, any further pursuits in these subjects being a blasphemy against their god. This heretechnica consisted of bans on the creation or use of artificial intelligence, in-depth study of the warp, and manipulation of the human gene-code, primarily as it related to Primarchs, Custodes, the creation of pariahs or pursuits into other mutant strains.[4]
Despite the burgeoning belief in the Emperor being the Omnissiah, there were many dissenters. Many members of the Martian Mechanicum, including Fabricator-General Kelbor-Hal, resented the Treaty of Olympus and saw it as a means for the Emperor to subordinate Martian forges. This tension eventually led to the Schism of Mars during the Horus Heresy.[1]
See also
Source
- 1: Mechanicum (Novel), Chapter "Principia Mechanicum", 1.6
- 2: Horusheresy.com Galaxy Timeline (last accessed 2/6/2022)
- 3: Imperium Maledictum: Adeptus Mechanicus Player's Guide, pg. 15
- 4: The Horus Heresy: Age of Darkness Rulebook, pg. 124