Old Ones (Warhammer 40,000)
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The Old Ones are a mythical race in the table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000. They played a pivotal role in the history of many races, including the Eldar, Jokaero, Humans, Orks and Necron.
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[edit] History
The Old Ones of Warhammer 40,000 history are an ancient race of nearly immortal, coldblooded creatures, who were probably the first race in the galaxy to have evolved sentience (though it should be noted that the C'tan predate the Old Ones, but the C'tan didn't partake in the affairs of the Galaxy until the Necrontyr gave them physical bodies during the War in Heaven). A benevolent and gentle race, they appear to have wished to nurture the younger races and protect them from the C'tan. It is possible that the Old Ones are equivalent to the Dragons of the Warhammer Fantasy game.
They were inherently patient as a race, and before attempting to make the step out into the galaxy they made an extensive study of astronomy, which led them to discover the Immaterium. At the time, the Immaterium was unaffected by the psychic emissions of other races, and so it was a calm and steady realm. The Old Ones were able to exploit the Immaterium, allowing them to travel across the galaxy at a whim.
On their travels, the Old Ones seeded many worlds with life, and encouraged the development of indigenous life on many more. Earth is believed to have been seeded in this way, the Old Ones bringing primitive life to the world. Other sources state that the human race and other species on Earth (Terra) evolved without the intervention of the Old Ones.
[edit] Encountering The Necrontyr
One of the few races the Old Ones encountered that were already sentient was the Necrontyr. Where the Old Ones were long lived, with an average lifespan of many millennia, and had access to technology that allowed them to travel from world to world instantaneously, the Necrontyr were short lived, and were bound to one world. The Necrontyr grew increasingly jealous of the Old Ones, and set about going to war with them. The Old Ones easily shrugged off attacks from the relatively primitive race, and the Necrontyr were overlooked.
However, the Necrontyr then discovered a C'tan living within their home star. In a short time the Necrontyr managed to create the technology to allow the C'tan to manifest physically, and began to view the C'tan as gods. With the help of the C'tan, the Necrontyr were able to turn the tide of their war against the Old Ones.
In the wars that followed, the Old Ones created and modified many new races to help them. The C'tan had no ability to comprehend the Immaterium, and thus the Old Ones came to the conclusion that they would create a series of races attuned to the Immaterium, in order to use the vast repository of energy present there against the C'tan. Of these races, a few survive today, such as the Eldar, Jokaero and the Krork (who, it is speculated, became Orks)
[edit] The Enslavers
The new psychically attuned races had a devastating effect upon the Immaterium: their emotional emissions bled into the Immaterium, twisting the once peaceful dimension into a violent realm, fuelled by the strongest emotions. The vast majority of the beings that dwelled in the Immaterium became malicious and dangerous.
One race, called the Enslavers, managed to discover a way to force entry into the material realm, and began to enslave huge numbers of sentient beings. This new invasion dealt a fatal blow to the Old Ones (all of whom were killed or fled) and forced the C'tan and their minions into hiding, as the C'tan (who feed on the sentience of other beings) had their food supplies stolen from them. It is hinted in recent publications that some of the Old Ones did indeed survive the War In Heaven, and continue to manipulate current events in the 41st millennium.
[edit] Slann
In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Slann were a reptilian or amphibian species who were servants of the Old Ones (although some sources state that they in fact are the Old Ones) not unlike the Lizardmen of Warhammer Fantasy. The Slann are reputed to have created some of the major races in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, the most notable of which are the Orks (who refer to them as the Brainboyz) and Eldar (who are the only race that keeps records from the age) who were created with their psychic abilities to take part in the war between the Necron and the Slann sixty million years ago in which they were all but wiped out by the C'tan and the Enslaver plague. The Human race was a race for which basic evolution was allowed to continue without the guidance of the Old Ones.
There were five generations of Slann spawned by the Old Ones. The Slann of the first generation have all died off, many likely killed in the war between the Old Ones and the Necron.
[edit] References
- Chambers, Andy; Priestley, Rick, and Haines, Pete (2004). Warhammer 40,000, 4th edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-468-X.
- Chambers, Andy; Haines, Pete; McNeil, Graham; Kelly, Phill and Hoare, Andy (2002). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Necrons. Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-190-7.
