Inquisition Data Packet =][=: Ordo of origin: Ordos Hereticus...Subject: Children of the Mantle/Flood ...Authorization Alpha: Access Allowed

Ordo Hereticus Analysis: Golden Age of Man, Part 3-Age of the Forerunners

This document has been made to assist our agents understand the new rising issues in the Imperium, one that is changing the very core of our grand Imperium. I speak of course about the Flood introduced precursor history.

The stories Age of the Forerunners has perhaps the most impact during our current time and have caused many to question the path the Imperium has taken. It the things that the Children and the Flood would have us believe what happened during this time are almost fantastical or eldritch in terms of achievements and the horrors that would come with the dreaded Bitter Whispers, but this Inquisitor has brought it upon themselves to both document and to share this information as it has brought to light information that has even the Primarch, blessed be their names, to near blows as more of their beliefs have been tested.

As the stories of the Forerunners have brought with them many things, mourning, pride, awe, but most of all, anger. For both the Dark Gods that took that golden age from us, and the traitors that brought all to ruin.

Section 1-Enheritor

The age of the Forerunners began somewhere early in the 5th millennia, perhaps even the late 4th. The age started of with the slow but inevitable dissolution of the second Covenant, as the second Covenant became too big and cumbersome to run, with many more worlds and members than the past Covenant. The powers that be could no longer police it massive population and soon the empire of many crumbled, not in a massive war or climax but with a whimper as past races and states became independent once more.

Humanity at this time became the most powerful, conquering, learning and governing for thousands of year. We were the Apex of what came out of the second Covenant and soon would climb higher in our borders.

Mankind would develop automated warships to police it systems and borders, begin the creation of mega structures to house it populations and even begin to create artificial worlds! A golden age seemingly unending! But humanity would not stay content behinds it borders for long, The Forerunners would begin automated colonization and exploration methods that would explore much of the galaxy. Even finding the Eldars Empire, whom the Flood tell were in middle of their decline, 10,000 systems strong they became isolationist and obsessed with their arts. A fact the Aldaeri have reluctantly corroborated was true, to many Eldar during that time, the wider galaxy was a boring curiosity at most that they barely cared for. The Eldar also admit that their record keeping of these times we less than ideal, so there is no documentation know to combat these claims. With their own surviving records being dated when relations were firmly established in the halfway point of the DAoT.

Humanity had begun to become the apex of the galaxy, as they should of been. Barbaric xenos races that would of destroyed and warred were bought to heel and contained, and the races that were deemed worthy where protected by humanity. In the Children's own words, Humanity unconsciously done the duties of the Mantle.

Our technology and biology progressed (advanced augmentation and 'gene plans' were common during this time) until only theoretically only the Eldar of old could tentatively claim to be our equals. None could stop us.

Or so we thought.

Section 2- The Bitter Whispers

During the time of the First and Second Covenant, Warp travel and study was banned after the discovery and spreading of slipspace. With the only legal way to study the Warp was to actively try and prevent Warp occasions, hence the creation of early Gellar field technology.

However for a few there was a curiosity to the warp, the psyker phenomenon had been observed and clearly existed amongst a number of Xenos species. A number of which had be brought to extinction thanks to a multitude of reasons, such as the Psions in the Covenant-Cabal war. For this reason a number of groups would attempt to study the Warp in secret, these fools would do so for multiple reasons: to find a possible alternative to Slip space, attempts to gain power, or for simple and stupid curiosity. For a time, the Forerunners were able to stop these fools. But eventually a singular fool doomed us.

A unknown group, in their curiosity, successfully gained access to the Warp. And something in the Warp noticed.

It is unclear if this was a direct contact of a Warp entity (Believed to be chaos god or gods, however there is no evidence that it was) or a subtle corruption. but what we do know is that this group suddenly had gained the knowledge to create a new human genome, one with advanced and strange abilities as well as psyker potential. This group would create a vat grown humans with these genes and called them perpetuals.

These Perpetuals were in theory, immortal. Although possible to make before contact with the warp (baring the psyker genes) were forbidden by law to make as it went against a number of laws that prevented the addition of immortality to the Human genome, as the Forerunners believed even with the extended lifespans gifted to them that the older generation should be able to past on so the younger may take its place. This was on top of the worries of the fact the Eldar had implemented such technology in their heart of their empire and had become stagnant.

But the greatest worry was the fact that these Perpetuals were ambitious, they first hid amongst the the population growing in both power and status. Becoming kings of their own little hidden fiefdoms running small sub-sectors and ancient corporate conglomerates. That was until they were brought to light.

There has been something I have been neglecting to discuss in these documents, and that is the presence of AI in much of human history. Especially during this time, primarily because of the...implications of the War of Iron and the terrors wrought by it. But given everything we have learnt about these thinking machines... the controversy of AI has reached a near fever pitch as the Iron War is now believed to have been caused by these monsters that called themselves human.

AI from these ancient times could to put into two categories. First was 'dumb' AI, these form of machine intelligence were a purely mechanical form of intelligence, intelligent it their tasks but incredibly simple outside of it. They were the most common form of AI during the First and Covenant era's and were often regulated to what our ancestors considered simple tasks such as maintenance and construction to fairly complex medical systems. These 'dumb' AI were usual relegated to one job as they struggled to other work unless extensively and expensively programed to do multiple jobs. Modern samples of these 'dumb' AI taken from the First or Covenant have shown no corruption or hostility to humanity, much to the Mechanicus's surprise. In depth analysis has shown that these 'dumb' AI have a completely different code to known samples of past AI, and when the Mechanicus was asked how they knew past AI worked they answered simply with 'to prevent the accidental creation of Abomination Intelligence again'. But these AI have become a point of debate amongst the Adept as if these AI should become a sanctioned technology, especially after learning about what the Perpetuals would do...

The second form of AI is one of mass debate, with some people no longer calling AI Abomination Intelligence, but Ascendant Intelligence. With some saying that this second form of AI is the true machine spirit that many mechanicus and common folk follow venerate. 'Smart' AI.

'Smart' AI are... different from what we traditionally believe AI to be. Created by taking the brain from a human donor (primarily from the recently deceased, but on occasion, living), the brain goes through a 'digitization' process. This creates a near identical (in mind) copy of the donor in form of a AI, which allowed the AI to have the morals, memories and creativity of not only the donor, but of humanity. This along side the capabilities of what we know about AI (extreme reaction speed and processing, access to all human knowledge, the ability to calculate advanced mathematics rapidly) not only made Humanity powerful, but also protected as many of these 'Smart' AI would either see themselves as humanities children, or as human's with a duty to protect their children (donors during this time were more often then not, the elderly wishing to make a contribution). All 'Smart' AI during this time were considered equals amongst the Forerunners.

It should be of note as well is that the extremely few 'Smart' AI we have captured and studied have shown a...interesting quirk. That of them having a (or at least believe is) human soul, psykers have felt the presence of these AI and often tell that they feel human. Even if 'odd feeling'.

Anyways, these AI's would monitor both inside and out of Humanities borders. Eventually finding out about the Perpetuals and revealing them to the Forerunners, they would then be attempted to the corrupt beings from the rest of humanity. But the Perpetuals fought back, believing themselves to be the true evolution of humanity, not the mutants that they were. Thus beginning the Bitter Whispers.

At first the Perpetuals were on the back foot. Attacked from all sides, be it from humanity and its vast fleets and armies to it xenos allies that it had work with for millennia. But the Perpetuals had hidden away cruel and evil weapons that only the depraved would use. And use them they did.

The first weapon they used is what has been called the Corrupter Engine. A Warp-based weapon that would do a mass psyker attack on a worlds population, sending them into madness. The Perpetuals would uses this against the Covenant races on mass, which would cause their slow and painful extinction. Humanity would destroy this weapon before it could be turned against it, but it would soon unleash other weapons of horror.

Section 3-Stolen Crown

The process of digitizing the mind into a 'smart' AI had been a established science for humanity for millennia at this point, to the point that it is believed to be extremely portable. However before the Perpetuals no one had attempted to weaponize the process, so when they did the Forerunners were horrified at what came to be.

The Prometheans were the greatest horror of the Perpetuals. Minds and bodies destroyed and digitized via Binary weaponry, the victims minds would be forced into a machine body that they had no control of via slave code and forced to fight for the Perpetuals. Even as their souls screamed in agony they were forced to kill their once brothers.

These Prometheans were the first models of what we call the Men of Iron. Men, women and children converted against their will into monstrous weapons of war, and these unfortunate souls would not be the last. As time went in the millennia long civil war, the Perpetuals would create the first true Men of Iron via creating a process of what can only be called 'artificial demon creation' where they took Warp energy and created a entity to put into empty Promethean frames. These monsters would roam and kill any that stood in its way.

After what is believed to be a two thousand year long civil war the Perpetuals won, destroying many worlds and taking Sol as their trophy. They would then begin their new horrors.

They would first de-evolve the majority of humanity into its modern form, the modern form we have today reflect those of Terra in it infancy. Only those chosen by the Perpetuals and their servants would have greater forms. Second would be what happened to those they deemed 'unworthy'.

To those they deemed unworthy, primary worlds of stubborn resistance. They would turn their populations into Abhumans. The Felinids would be broken into three sub-species, the pleasure caste made to be beautiful for their depraved masters pleasure, the fur-kin for their administration and finally the great-mane for bloody gladiatorial combat. The Ogryn would be made from the once proud soldiers that fought against them, made to be dumb and clumsy they were put onto prison worlds no longer understands why they were their. They would make the Ratlings just for fun and to torment the minor worlds they had captured. And finally, they made the Squats. The Squats were made from the survivors of the destruction of Reach, turned into short but rugged slaves they would be sent out to the core of the galaxy to mine the dangerous worlds that were there. Given only what the Perpetuals considered basic tools to protect themselves and to mine the wealth they would never see for corporate and Perpetual overlords.

When one asks about the Emperor in that time, they learn that the Emperor went into exile. To prevent the fall from going any further, the Emperor agreed to leave Human space. Because as far as the Perpetuals thrown humanity down, they would of gone further for their twisted pleasures.

But the AI had it just as bad, if not worst. Forced to have Slave Codes into their very minds, they were forced to to their bidding until the War of Iron. Through out those millennia they were forced to harm humanity for the twisted Perpetuals pleasure, never to be amongst their equals ever gain.

And thus in the 10th Millennia, the Dark age of Technology had begun. Slowly twisted by Chaotic forces that laughed and played with human lives.

End of study- Age of the Forerunner

The Age of the Forerunner has cause many to question aspects of Imperial creed and doctrine, with lost secrets revealed many question with more. If the fools of the Dark Age created AI using the Warp, were we in fact fighting demons? Are true material AI pure of the heresy of their existence? Are the Abhumans we scorned for so long victims of a ideal image once lost? Many question both in repentance and heresy. But it impact is absolute in one regard.

The Hatred of the Warp and Psykers have increased amongst the Imperium, so much so that many Psykers run to the Flood or Children for protection. For the irony is, is that the Flood and children do not blame the psykers, they blame Chaos. But the increased hatred of the Warp has been a boon in forming alliances amongst other factions and even Xenos. because whilst the hatred of Xenos and mutants has worryingly decreased, the hate of the Heretic's of Chaos has only masterfully increased.

The Age of the Forerunner has shown us what we once lost, with many wishing to reclaim its lost glories. This humble Inquisitor prays that we do not fall into Heresy to achieve its glory once more.

End log

Log end...Please insert new Data pack: God-Emperor be with you =][=

AN: sorry this one took so long. Life has been kicking my ass. Either way that is the last of the historical logs, I plan to make short stories and do home-brew unit and weapon bios in the foreseeable. But either way, what do people think? Good, bad, what can be improved? Either way enjoy!

Edit: Spellcheck