Spyros Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 (edited) I have a good idea about the Terminus Decree, that doesn't involve the Golden Throne. To those that don't know it (and for a good reason since it is secret!) it's an artifact kept by the Grey Knights on Titan: "Deep within the Chambers of Purity, locked away in the chamber said to hold the tomb of the Sigillite himself, rests a simple wooden box, embellished with a golden seal. Within this box, written upon ancient parchment, is the instruction known only as the Terminus Decree. This artefact goes unrecorded in all the libraries of the Imperium, for it has been kept secret from all but the Supreme Grand Masters of the Chapter. .... The Terminus Decree is the ultimate sanction of the Grey Knights, a secret so vast it could bring the Imperium to its knees, or save it in its darkest hour. .... .... the only clue to its contents lies in the box’s golden seal. It is whispered that it is the exact match of another seal, found only in one place in all the Imperium’s many scattered worlds: the Emperor’s Golden Throne." The current theory is that it unlocks the Golden Throne, thus either killing the Emperor or allowing his rebirth, but at the same time collapsing the Astronomican beacon and probably releasing the psychic seals of the Imperial Webway entrance and leaving Terra open to full scale Daemonic invasion. So It could bring the Imperium to its knees, or save it if the Emperor is reborn. But what if it's something else completely? During the Horus Heresy (events described in "Deliverance Lost"), the Emperor gave Corax the information needed to manipulate Primarch and Astartes genetic code in order to quickly rebuild his shattered legion. And said: "I not only give you the gift of these memories and this technology, I place upon you the burden of its protection. You will have the power to create armies as I once did, and that in itself would be reason enough to jealously guard its existence. More than that, the gene-store contains the means to destroy what it created. That which I bound within the fibre of every Space Marine can be undone, unravelling their strength and purpose at a stroke." Did you see that? "...at a stroke." There is a way to virtually instantly kill all Astartes... That makes better sense that sacrificing Terra to Daemons. (The Custodians are probably safe as they are a different breed.) EDITED New info has appeared as I read the Horus Heresy series of books. In "Old Earth" (book 47) by Nick Kyme, at the end as Vulcan is before the Golden Throne, the Emperor reveals to him that his serialized deaths and rebirths were not random chance but have led to the creation of a powerful talisman. "Vulkan wrenched the talisman from his neck and reached out with it towards the Throne. A small circular aperture presented itself and without further hesitation he pressed the talisman into it. In the moment of connection, Vulkan saw a sea of flame rise up to engulf the Tower of Hegemon, to swallow the Tower of Heroes and all the mighty spires of the Palace. It spread, this conflagration within his mind, sweeping across the Panpacific, Ursh, Hy Brasil, Ind and Nordafrik, to every region until nothing remained but ash.The talisman would magnify the power of the Throne to unleash cataclysm.Vulkan blinked and it was gone, a part of the great mechanism, impossible to remove and forever waiting." The Emperor's plan is to destroy Terra in case Horus wins in order to deny it to Chaos: "Not to deny it to Horus but to Chaos, and to strike a blow against their forces the like of which they will never recover from." Soooo... the Terminus Decree might be just that, the activation of Vulcan's talisman on the throne, in case Terra falls to Chaos... Edited June 26, 2019 by Spyros D3L, SickSix, N1SB and 1 other 4 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Sounds pretty farfetched to combine these two things. BLACK BLΠFLY 1 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlo Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Fun theory! Didn't know about it before but I like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N1SB Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Interesting, Brother Spyros. What do you think happens next? It sounds like you're building up to something. I can think of at least one possibility (based on something from Master of Mankind and actually, Warzone: Fenris, I suppose), which is why this is an option of last resort, but I think you've got more interesting ideas along this line, so let us hear from you 1st. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spyros Posted January 10, 2019 Author Share Posted January 10, 2019 Interesting, Brother Spyros. What do you think happens next? It sounds like you're building up to something. I can think of at least one possibility (based on something from Master of Mankind and actually, Warzone: Fenris, I suppose), which is why this is an option of last resort, but I think you've got more interesting ideas along this line, so let us hear from you 1st. I don't think anything is about to happen. If that theory stands, it's probably an option GW will have in order to do a 40K reboot (Warhammer Fantasy Enod of Times style) if it is deemed necessary. To me it's more probable to release a plastic Thunderhawk than push the button. A miniatures reboot is actually happening now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D3L Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 (edited) sounds like you've found the mechanism by which AoM and the next edition will be brought out, I wonder what scale the Astartescasts will be in next time!exciting times! Edited January 10, 2019 by D3L Brother Christopher and Spiritual Liege 2 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midlight Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 So, it would be some kind of kill code that would be broadcast over the astronomicon? Would kind of fit with the whole space marines are a tool that can be discarded when the job is done type theories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ciler Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Interesting idea. Unlikely, but interesting. As a whole, this sort of plot (only one guy knows) always bothers me though. If only the GM knows about this document and somehow dies without being able to pass it on, what happens ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuskRaider Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 I'd say the chances of it being the override instructions or whatever to kill the Ermperor are pretty high, but there's a huge risk that comes with it... ... say you hard reboot ole Empy by offing him, you have no clue what will happen. Is he truly a Perpetual and he'll just reappear moments later as he was 10,000 years ago? Did sitting on his giant toilet for 10 millennia in Mummy Mode somehow corrupt his ability to respawn? If you kill him, will he ascend and become a God which may take who knows how long? Is he insane from not only knocking on death's door for so long but also having to listen to TRILLIONS of people ask for his divine attention? What if he does actually come back to life but it's at the beginning of his creation and thus he's either just an infant or (if it's still canon) he's split into however many Shaman whose simultaneous deaths caused his creation in the first place? For that matter, who's to say he's actually alive in the first place and he's not just a literal puppet or figure head sitting on the actual Astronomicon (Golden Throne) which is just fueled by Psykers? There's so many risks that I think even if the time did come to attempt a resurrection, no one would have the testicular fortitude to do so because the cons outweigh the pros. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slasher956 Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Is that what Alpha legion and/or Cyper are trying to do... find out just what would happen before they do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spyros Posted January 10, 2019 Author Share Posted January 10, 2019 (edited) As far as I've read (and remember), the Alpha Legion possess Corax's successful accelerated/enhanced Astartes creation formula, and Cypher was trying to get to the Throne room. Nothing shows that they are aware of the Terminus Decree, or Corax's knowledge of Astartes instant-kill "button". Edited January 10, 2019 by Spyros Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexington Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Could be, tho if every Space Marine in the Imperium suddenly died, I doubt it’d be a big deal. The Astartes are, like, maybe one one-billionth of the Imperium’s military. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slasher956 Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 As far as I've read (and remember), the Alpha Legion possess Corax's successful accelerated/enhanced Astartes creation formula, and Cypher was trying to get to the Throne room. Nothing shows that they are aware of the Terminus Decree, or Corax's knowledge of Astartes instant-kill "button". sorry I was following on from the talk of killing of the emperor... as both the Alpha Legion & Cypher are ambigous as to where their true loyalties lie so they may be attempting to turn off the golden throne to allow his accension/ rebirth / ???? Spyros 1 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spyros Posted January 10, 2019 Author Share Posted January 10, 2019 Could be, tho if every Space Marine in the Imperium suddenly died, I doubt it’d be a big deal. The Astartes are, like, maybe one one-billionth of the Imperium’s military. I bet this includes all Astartes, heretics too... ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slasher956 Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Except we know that the butchers nails was killing Angeron until he accended in to demonhood.... so wouldnt the chaos infulence have stopped what ever is the Emperors 'Del Tree' command? for example demons possessing the marines and being able to warp their bodies....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midlight Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 That could be why its a save it or bring it to it's knees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Triszin Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Interesting theory but. WOuld it work on primaris? would it work on CHaos marines that have been "gifted" new attributes by the chaos gods? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sete Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Or maybe them tasty psyker souls feeding the engine will amount to something one day... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyriks Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Or he might have thought he just needed to go in for a little while (to finish the war or something) but didn't see how things would go and never intended to be in for so long. He sees the future (at least somewhat) but he's not omniscient so it could just be a simple mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klisof Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 My headcannon has always been that even the Emperor does not know what will happen if he truly dies. He may be a perpetual, but he has never died to put that to the test. So the Emperor can sit in eternal torment on the golden throne while the imperium slowly rots with the impossible chance of evolving into a psychic race strong enough to withstand chaos before chaos wins, something the imperium itself fights against with it's pogroms, fear and ignorance . Or the Emperor can die with the knowledge his death is at least as likely to lead to the total doom of all realty and the ultimate triumph of chaos gods as the entire universe is subsumed by warp when they feast on the souls of humanity as it is to lead to the Emperors rebirth and a new hope for mankind. Even if the Emperor is reborn it may not be enough to save humanity, him being offline for however long that takes may be enough to weaken mankind enough that there is no chance to defeat chaos and all his rebirth does is delay the death of realty. Him sitting on the golden throne may just be what the Emperor saw as the least bad of the choices open to him when he told Dorn to plug him in Spyros and Karhedron 2 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord_Caerolion Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 One thing I never understood with the whole Emperor needs to die to save mankind theory, is that didn’t he specifically tell Dorn with his last breaths to put him on the throne? Why wouldn’t he have just said to Dorn to let him die if he knew he could come back stronger? Or at least say to hit the off switch once the immediate threat of the Heresy was resolved. Maybe the man whose failure to be present during the duel literally broke him might not have been receptive to orders to finish what Horus started. I can fully see Dorn being told to put the Emperor on the Throne and then kill him, only to respond to "no, I failed you before, I'll fix what Horus has broken". Hell, maybe he was just too grief-stricken, didn't even hear the Emperor, and just remembered from the brief times he got glimpses of the Thrones purpose that it could help preserve the Emperor. Kite Senet 1 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spyros Posted January 10, 2019 Author Share Posted January 10, 2019 Him sitting on the golden throne may just be what the Emperor saw as the least bad of the choices open to him when he told Dorn to plug him in "...least bad choice..." From "The Outcast Dead": "The figure shrugged, as though they discussed something trivial. ‘Some things need to happen, Kai. Even the most terrible things you can imagine sometimes need to happen.’ ‘Why?’ His opponent moved his Divinitarch into a blocking position, and said, ‘Because sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning.’ Kai scanned the board, seeing he had no more moves to make. ‘Stalemate,’ he said. The figure spread his hands in an empty gesture of apology. ‘I know some people think me omnipotent, but there is a catch with being all powerful and all knowing.’ ‘Which is?’ ‘You can’t be both at the same time,’ said the figure with a wry smile. ‘So what happens now?’ ‘I finish the game.’ ‘This one?’ asked Kai, puzzled. ‘No,’ said the figure. ‘Our game is done, and I thank you for it.’ ‘Will I see you again?’ His opponent laughed. ‘Who knows, Kai? If our game has taught me anything, it is that all things are possible.’ ‘But you’re going to die.’ ‘I know,’ said the Emperor." klisof, Dracos, Loquille and 1 other 4 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nova_Dew Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 But surely the big E would have ordered papa smurf to flip the death switch when he was on terra getting told off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sete Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 An old star trek saying comes to mind. You can still fail even if you make no mistakes. I like that the Emps last move was not letting the chaos gods win. He is for humanity (the collective) first and foremost. This is a way to keep humanity going until the rules of the game change. Huggtand, Spyros and Dracos 3 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finkmilkana Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 (edited) But surely the big E would have ordered papa smurf to flip the death switch when he was on terra getting told off? I‘m still not fully convinced guilly talked to the man „the emperor of mankind“ and not the psychic amalgamation „the God Emperor“ that was born from billions of sacrificed psykers souls (even if that still contains the man he once was in some form). Mainly, I’m not sure if the goals of these two entities directly align anymore. Edited January 10, 2019 by Finkmilkana Commissar Molotov, Lord_Caerolion, DuskRaider and 1 other 4 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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