Warhammer 40K in a Boltershell

I had an idea for an article so started to write it. I realized part way into it I might want some basic information about the setting of Warhammer 40,000 as the article would make no sense for someone not already familiar with the background. I started to include a basic overview when I realized it was taking up a lot of space. This is one of those times when I can thankfully squeeze two posts out of one idea. I will be truncating Warhammer 40,000 as 40K a lot as I am lazy. So let's begin with the history lesson behind the Warhammer 40,000 setting.

A long ways into the future, in a galaxy right here at home....

Mankind was in a golden age. A time

that banished the wrongs brought

about by the Dark Age of Technology.

The Emperor had found his

genetically modified test tube babies

ejected out to different regions of space,

the Almighty Space Marines.

The emperor entrusted his son Horus

with leading his brethren on a crusade

to reunite all of mankind which had

become separated amongst the stars.

Horus became disenchanted with the

Emperor and his vision. He led half the

Space Marines in a bitter war against the

Emperor ten thousand years ago. Horus

died in the resulting conflict, and the

Emperor came close to death himself.

The Emperor has been a rotting husk

incapable of leaving his golden throne

for the past ten thousand years. He is

still the beacon that guides mankind as

without him there is no way to navigate

The Warp so no means for faster than

light travel. Should the Emperor perish,

Humanity will fall with him.

In the Grim Dark future, there is only War!

Yes, I know the scroll is supposed to line up evenly on the left, but I am not taking the time to do that.

That in a nutshell is twenty thousand plus years of history. There are a lot of nuances such as there are countless number of Human inhabited worlds. Humans are the most numerous species in the galaxy. Beings live within subscape or The Warp as it is called in the setting. Most warp beings do not care what us material beings do. Those that do care want to either destroy us or have power over us. There are two large sections of space where the material plane is rent apart to expose us directly to The Warp. The Warp is also the cause of most mutations and where psychics draw their power from. Space Marines are honourable sons of the Emperor. Girls in power armour are either nuns or =][=nquisitors. I am fairly certain I am legally obligated to use that symbol for the I in =][=nquisitor.

There are also many alien races. Most never receive a lot of attention. From Humanity's view, none of the Xenos races are good and should be shot on sight. There are Humans that have interactions with other species, but they are generally considered as not being true citizens of the Empire. They are therefore not trusted. Then you have the abhumans. These are Humans who spent so much time in an environment to cause their physiology to change. Some examples include Ratlings (Hobbits), Ogryn (Ogres), and the fan favourite Squats (Dwarfs). They are treated as a part of the Empire and have a place in it. That place is beneath real Humans however.

In addition to the Xenos and Abhumans, you should not trust other Humans as well. They might be hiding a mutation, or worse, be psychic. Both of these are evidence of Warp exposure. Mutants are slightly more tolerated as the less dangerous of the two and can be used for manual labour. The fear with psychics is not so much any mental abilities they might or might not possess, but the risk inherent with using psychic powers. Any time a psychic uses their abilities they are opening themselves up to The Warp. Anything could potentially come through should the psychic lose control or push too hard. Psychics are rounded up and tested. Those found unsuited for reeducation purposes or level of control are sent to Terra. A thousand psychics are sacrificed every day to keep the Emperor alive and power the navigation beacon he transmits into The Warp with his psychic abilities.

The number of psychics is on the rise. There are Xenos everywhere. This new age practically started with the arrival of Starship Trooper alien bugs drifting into our galaxy. Ancient races are waking up. New races are evolving and starting to explore and claim planets of their own.

Mix all of this with Gothic architecture, Emperor worship, few understand technology so it is worshiped as they perform the ancient rites as opposed to using technology as we think of it, and throw in some fake Latin. Humanity is a propped up corpse of it previous self. This is Warhammer 40,000.