"The Imperium of Man is a malfunctioning machine that runs on blood, sweat and tears."
– The definition of the Imperium of Man in a single sentence. By Roboute Guilliman the Current leader of the Imperium.
All of humanity stands under the single banner of the imperium in the 41st millennium. And as a result they are currently the biggest entity in the Galaxy. The empire of man is gigantic as it is said to own over a million habitable Worlds, it is of such size that the loss of a few dozen planets (along with billions of citizens) is not even worth the paperwork it would take to declare said worlds taken.
It is at all times under attack by a variety of alien/Xenos races, Traitors and demonic armies in a constat Galaxy spanning war. Everyday lives of its citizens are controlled by the leaders of the imperiums largest factions The High Lords of Terra. Who are often seen as either completly incompetent or uncaring.
The object of the imperiums religious veneration, the immortal God-Emperor of Mankind forged the Imperium out of the Age of Strife 10,000 years ago. When humanity became too relient on AI and the robots decided to rebel and wipe us out.
By saving humanity from extinction he became the defacto leader of the species and led a giant crusuade to conquer the galaxy. Due to a huge civil war called the Horus Heresey he is now currently in a coma on earth but still helping out humanity as best as he can.
Stuck on the Golden Throne he is currently on life support requiring a sacrifice of a 1000 people a day to keep him alive. He pays back his citizens by giving the Astronomican a Psychic beacon that allows for space travel.Imagine a giant light tower in galaxy that shows the ships where to go for safe travel.
And as a god that gets worshipped he regularly grants miracles to his most impressive citzens. Such as a soldier in war getting shot but then theres a burst of light and he is healed.
When the Emperor lead humanity it was a Golden age based on his beliefs of athiesm,logic and technology but ever since his crippling only average humans have had to lead the species for 10,000 years. With no oversight humanity degraded and rotted from the inside out overtime.
A whole new religion called The Ecclesiarchy was created - The Imperial Church
The Ecclesiarchy itself is, the one true faith of the God-Emperor. It is the organization dedicated to teaching His truths and His will to the vast masses of humanity, and all are united under its banner. Therefore, no matter where you go in the Imperium, the Cult of The Emperor can be found uniting its masses under His benevolent rule. The reality, of course, is a bit more complex.
The problem is that the Imperium is vast. Like, really vast. So much so that no one really knows how big it is, and an empire that big couldn't even begin to manage a galaxy wide faith. Therefore, what actually happens is that the Church of the God-Emperor is split into many faiths that don't actually resemble each other in any way.
On some worlds, the Emperor is worshiped as a distant father, watching over his children from far away. Others associate Him with a force of nature, believing that the wind is His voice and when He is angry He shouts at them causing great winds. Others assign some sort of totem animal, usually a predatory bird, that is considered sacred in His eyes. Some practice hymns and chants that wouldn't be out of place in our modern age, others prefer ritualistic dances and animal sacrifices. Despite all these varied and at times bizarre forms of faith, one thing is certain; there is only one god, only one Emperor, and they are one and the same.
This applies with everything the imperium is so large that it can be used to explore all aspects of society. But the Imperium typically is seen as a xenophobic, amoral, gargantuan, militaristic, merciless, stratified, theocratic, paranoid, dystopian, totalitarian, Fascist, police state and hellishly oligarchical bureaucracy.
Adeptus Mechanicus
The Adeptus Mechanicus, also known as the AdMech, is a unique organization within the Imperium of Man that combines the extreme technophilia and cyborg-fetishism found in the Cyberpunk and Raypunk genres with the religious fervor and esoteric practices reminiscent of Scientology and Gnostic cults. This enigmatic group serves as a multifaceted entity, functioning as a government ministry, a religious institution, and a powerful technology corporation.
Their responsibilities encompass a wide array of critical roles, including scientific research, technological development, engineering, manufacturing, and the majority of industrial production across the Imperium. The Adeptus Mechanicus holds immense influence and control over the technological aspects of the Imperium's society and plays a pivotal role in sustaining the technological infrastructure of the vast Imperium.
The Adeptus Mechanicus, led by individuals known as Techpriests, preside over numerous heavily polluted planet-factories known as forge worlds. These forge worlds are characterized by vast manufactoria, also referred to as 'work' in Low Gothic. Among these, the most prominent is their homeworld, Mars, which is the epicenter of their operations. Mars is where some of the most formidable weapons ever created are manufactured, though the Adeptus Mechanicus often keeps these technologies closely guarded and does not readily share them with others in the Imperium.
The Adeptus Mechanicus can be likened to the epitome of a Zaibatsu, which is essentially a mega-corporation or monopoly. To put it in contemporary terms, imagine a fusion of corporate giants like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Tesla, and Amazon. This organization wields immense wealth and power, effectively monopolizing the production and manufacturing of technology within the Imperium. Their influence is so substantial that they have the capacity to exert significant control over the government and its politicians, essentially allowing them to shape key aspects of Imperial policy and direction.
After The Emperor was wounded and couldnt be around to keep people from being stupid, the Imperial Cult became gigantinormous and the Mechanicus went on basically a techno-jihad and assimilated every independent scientific community, group, club, and individual or just killed any that refused.
They worship technology and just as any religion they have superstition. Thier biggest one is that they believe all technology has already been invented by old humanity at its peak. And that there is no need for innovation as that is a waste of time and a heresy. Any attempt at innovation if discovered will be met anhilation. It is the belief of the mechanicus that they must simply rediscover the lost technologies of man.
We have gotten familiar with the 2 non military branches of humanity now. Over the course of my next few posts I will discuss the other parts of humanty such as the main military force, super soldiers/Astartes and the Inquisition.
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