Welcome to Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum! Log in and join the community.

Astronomican

From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
Revision as of 13:58, 8 December 2006 by General Espino (talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search

The Astronomican is the beacon that guides the ships of the Imperium through the tides and edies of warp space. It is the duty of the Adeptus Astronomica to maintain the Astronomican and as such it recruits a portion of the psykers from the Adeptus Astra Telepathica ranks. This means that most of the higher officers are psykers, but most of the slave workers are not.

The Adeptus Astronomica is based in a large complex within the Forbidden Fortress. All visitors must ask permission to enter, even Inquisitors. It is built into a large mountain and is well hidden. The leader of the Fortress is known as the Master of the Astronomican. His task is to represent the Astronomican within the High Lords of Terra.

Young psykers are admitted and trained to become Acolytes. Their further training may bring them to the rank of Chosen, while those who fail go on to become instructors or are absorbed into other duties. These Chosen go on to enter the Chamber of the Astronomican. Here they become part of the psychic power that guides the Imperium and gradually ages and dies in the knowledge of a well performed life.

Sometimes on Imperial worlds, people willing to sow the seeds of Chaos and corruption or those that doubt the divinity of the Emperor will say the Emperor is dead. (in the physical sense, he may be). Those refuting these arguments are cite the Astronomican as proof, for if the Astronomican is still functioning, then the Emperor must still be alive.

Destroying the Astronomican will halt all Imperial warp travel within the galaxy, effectively bringing the Imperium of Man to its knees.