00:00:07
[Music]
00:00:28
the 20th millennium ad marked the dawn
00:00:32
of humanity's interstellar golden age
00:00:34
over the course of the previous five
00:00:36
thousand years mankind had developed the
00:00:39
technology and unleashed the will to
00:00:41
leave the sol system behind before long
00:00:44
the galaxy had been settled by billions
00:00:46
of people seeking a new life early
00:00:49
advancements in terraforming technology
00:00:51
and the long march colonists had led the
00:00:53
way but it was the discovery and use of
00:00:55
the parallel universe of the warp to
00:00:57
travel rapidly between the stars that
00:00:59
transformed human society the colonies
00:01:02
of mankind were no longer isolated they
00:01:05
now had the potential to become a true
00:01:07
interstellar civilization dedicated to
00:01:09
the pursuit of progress and knowledge
00:01:11
the dream humanity's pioneers had
00:01:14
envisioned millennia before had last
00:01:16
become real with warp drive and
00:01:19
navigators at their command the Sabbath
00:01:21
of Old Earth and Mars were determined to
00:01:23
reunite all the colonies of the stellar
00:01:25
Exodus with their homeworld it was now
00:01:28
possible to quickly retrace the routes
00:01:30
taken by the long large generation
00:01:32
vessels the farthest human colonies have
00:01:35
been out of contact with the earth for
00:01:37
centuries the time had come for humanity
00:01:39
to reforge its bonds and reunite as a
00:01:42
single people crossing vast distances
00:01:45
that had once taken ten generations or
00:01:47
more in only a few months each reunion
00:01:50
revealed a different story some colonies
00:01:53
have become prosperous and now cradle
00:01:55
societies almost as advanced as those
00:01:57
found in their home system others had
00:01:59
only scraped by or even gone extinct
00:02:02
after losing a struggle to the unique
00:02:03
hardships of their new world the lessons
00:02:07
of these experiences weren't squandered
00:02:09
it was not long before the experts of
00:02:11
the Sol system found a way to utilize
00:02:13
this information to transmitted to
00:02:15
future colonists all that humanity had
00:02:17
learned from its past exploits mankind
00:02:20
had once pooled resources and expertise
00:02:22
to transform Mars from a dead world into
00:02:24
a thriving paradise in a similar way
00:02:27
humanity would now share its knowledge
00:02:29
to eradicate the hardships and
00:02:30
disparities based by its children among
00:02:33
the stars the result was a new
00:02:35
technology called a standard template
00:02:38
construct or STC
00:02:40
the STC was an artificially intelligent
00:02:42
database containing the sum total of
00:02:45
humanities technical and scientific
00:02:46
knowledge it had been acquired from the
00:02:49
many challenges faced while expanding to
00:02:51
new worlds the STC provided its
00:02:53
information in the form of simple
00:02:55
holographic schematics these were easily
00:02:58
usable even by those who didn't possess
00:02:59
a deep understanding of science or
00:03:01
engineering when combined with
00:03:04
fabrication facilities an STC could
00:03:07
construct nearly any device requested by
00:03:09
its operator from local materials this
00:03:11
included advanced power generators
00:03:13
efficient shelters and even military
00:03:16
vehicles with the advent of the STC the
00:03:20
technological differences that had been
00:03:21
found among the existing interstellar
00:03:23
colonies were erased in one fell swoop
00:03:25
every person could now enjoy the same
00:03:28
lifestyle as one born on terror armed
00:03:31
with the wealth of knowledge and in STC
00:03:32
a new colony could overcome almost any
00:03:35
challenge an error of breakneck
00:03:37
expansion across the galaxy began a
00:03:39
golden age of human well-being and
00:03:42
scientific progress with every passing
00:03:45
Terran year warp-capable starships
00:03:48
pressed deeper into the immaterial they
00:03:50
crossed first hundreds and then
00:03:52
thousands of light-years in search of
00:03:53
new worlds to expand the human sphere as
00:03:56
mankind spread across the stars its
00:03:58
technological wonders also proliferated
00:04:01
enormous works of macro engineering and
00:04:04
planetary transformations on a scale
00:04:06
never before imagined became possible
00:04:09
countless hellworld were terraformed
00:04:11
into garden planets the ability to
00:04:14
manipulate physical laws advanced until
00:04:16
humanity had developed anti-gravity
00:04:18
technology this allowed its vehicles and
00:04:21
aircraft to move without thrust truly
00:04:23
sentient machines were created that
00:04:25
could cater to all of mankind's needs
00:04:27
for labour and defense each of these
00:04:30
discoveries was added to the
00:04:31
ever-growing
00:04:32
STC database for many it seemed as if
00:04:35
the godlike power to reshape reality was
00:04:38
at last within the human grasp all these
00:04:41
triumphs were made possible by mankind's
00:04:43
access to the immaterial only through
00:04:46
the use of the warp for faster than
00:04:47
light travel could humanity cooperate to
00:04:49
the degree necessary to advance its
00:04:51
technology so rapidly but this new reach
00:04:54
brought humanity into contact with two
00:04:56
other star faring species who also owed
00:04:58
their success to the war these beings
00:05:01
were vastly different from humans and
00:05:03
culture and worldview and were capable
00:05:04
of wielding the power of the immaterial
00:05:06
in ways that were inconceivable to
00:05:08
mankind known as the orcs and the
00:05:11
al-douri each also represented a dire
00:05:14
threat to human civilization but orcs
00:05:17
were an alien race spread widely across
00:05:19
the galaxy who came into contact with
00:05:21
human colonies many times over the
00:05:23
centuries at first they seemed a
00:05:26
controllable nuisance hulking
00:05:28
green-skinned humanoids the orcs were
00:05:31
barely literate and had no real culture
00:05:33
which to speak they appeared to be
00:05:35
bestial savages their entire existence
00:05:37
dedicated solely to the irrational
00:05:39
pursuit of war they lived only for
00:05:42
combat migrating across the galaxy and
00:05:44
great armies called Oise in the hopes of
00:05:46
engaging in battle with anyone or
00:05:48
anything in their way yet human
00:05:51
observers soon noticed some troubling or
00:05:53
characteristics they proved capable of
00:05:56
surviving assaults that would have
00:05:57
killed most other life-forms and it was
00:05:59
impossible to negotiate or reason with
00:06:02
an orc wha even when the creatures were
00:06:04
exterminated to the last orc new
00:06:07
populations seemed to appear out of
00:06:08
nowhere on any world that had already
00:06:10
felt their tread those human worlds who
00:06:14
managed to destroy orc threats soon
00:06:16
learned that the green skins were far
00:06:18
more dangerous than they appeared orcs
00:06:20
were actually unique symbiotic organisms
00:06:23
that combine the traits of both animals
00:06:25
and fungus due to their fungal natures
00:06:27
green skins lacked complex internal
00:06:30
organs and reproduced asexually through
00:06:32
the constant emission of spores thus
00:06:35
each orc was a uniquely resilient foe
00:06:37
capable respawning an entire new
00:06:40
population of its kind
00:06:41
if even one made planet full but as
00:06:44
humanity became more familiar with the
00:06:46
green skins another frightening reality
00:06:48
became apparent the longer orcs engaged
00:06:51
in the combat they craved the more
00:06:53
difficult they were to defeat human
00:06:56
colonies that fought protracted wars
00:06:58
with orcs discovered to their horror
00:07:00
that the technology level of an orc army
00:07:02
had advanced by leaps and bounds over
00:07:04
the course of a single conflict
00:07:06
armed at first only with simple weapons
00:07:08
like axes and primitive firearms belonga
00:07:10
the orcs fought the more advanced they
00:07:12
became they would unleash upon their
00:07:14
enemies in rapid succession
00:07:16
directed-energy weapons armored vehicles
00:07:18
piloted combat walkers and finally even
00:07:21
massive starships worse it seemed that
00:07:24
continuous combat caused the orcs to
00:07:27
grow ever more intelligent this allowed
00:07:29
them to make use of better tactics and
00:07:31
strategies to complement their new
00:07:33
weapons as the violence persisted their
00:07:36
numbers often swelled as other green
00:07:38
skins began to arrive from across the
00:07:39
galaxy drawn as if by magic a human
00:07:43
force that didn't realize what it faced
00:07:44
could find itself swiftly overwhelmed by
00:07:47
a foe whose skill weaponry and numbers
00:07:49
increased exponentially the only choice
00:07:53
was to exterminate an orc wha
00:07:55
while it was still small or get out of
00:07:57
the way if it had already grown too
00:07:59
large despite all it had accomplished
00:08:03
humanity did not realize that it was
00:08:05
possible for other species to use the
00:08:07
immaterial in ways that it had never
00:08:09
even imagined every orc was capable of
00:08:12
wielding the warps energies but unlike
00:08:14
human navigators they did so
00:08:16
collectively and completely
00:08:17
unconsciously
00:08:18
whenever a battle began the orcs
00:08:21
involved started to generate psychic
00:08:23
power which they called waah energy the
00:08:26
build up of this incomprehensible warp
00:08:28
power made it possible for the orcs to
00:08:30
craft ever more advanced technology that
00:08:32
defied all rational function though
00:08:35
their technology appeared slapdash and
00:08:37
useless it was still capable of
00:08:39
unleashing deadly effects upon their
00:08:40
astonished foes this warp energy also
00:08:44
acted as an unconscious beacon that
00:08:46
called other orcs to go wherever it
00:08:48
originated it could draw them to a fight
00:08:51
even from light-years away while humans
00:08:53
needed navigators to use the warp as a
00:08:55
medium of travel it tended to pull
00:08:57
greenskins to wherever their species was
00:08:59
under threat they would continue to
00:09:01
arrive subconsciously to eliminate that
00:09:03
danger through sheer force of numbers
00:09:05
until it was defeated this mechanism
00:09:08
acted to ensure both the survival of the
00:09:09
species and his rapid spread across the
00:09:12
galaxy in theory if the orcs fought for
00:09:15
long enough and hard enough a while of
00:09:18
apocalyptic size and ferocity
00:09:20
could form it would be outfitted with
00:09:22
super weapons capable of unleashing
00:09:23
horrific effects that defied all
00:09:26
rational logic such a catastrophe
00:09:28
required the outbreak of war on a
00:09:30
galactic scale but the threat to
00:09:32
humanity remained all too real but if
00:09:36
the true nature of the orcs connection
00:09:38
to the warp remained mysterious to
00:09:39
humanity the same could not be said for
00:09:41
the eldery unlike the orcs at first
00:09:45
sight the Eldar II appeared to be almost
00:09:47
human save for the pointed ears and on
00:09:49
earthly grace which made them resemble
00:09:51
the elves of ancient fairy tales humans
00:09:55
who made uneasy contact with eldery
00:09:56
world also reported that these aliens
00:09:58
possessed technology more advanced than
00:10:00
anything ever achieved by mankind the
00:10:04
eldery civilization had progressed
00:10:06
beyond the need for any physical labor
00:10:08
to provide all the necessities and
00:10:10
comforts of life however their tools and
00:10:13
devices remained inscrutable and useless
00:10:16
in human hands this was because as
00:10:20
humanity soon learned every Eldar II was
00:10:23
born a seikar unlike the orcs each
00:10:26
eldery had conscious control of their
00:10:28
abilities they possessed a mastery over
00:10:30
the energies of the warp to such a
00:10:32
degree that they could reshape the laws
00:10:34
of reality to their own ends they could
00:10:37
read minds at a glance or even crush
00:10:39
their foes weapons with but a narrowing
00:10:41
of their eyes their technology took
00:10:43
advantage of this trait using solidified
00:10:46
warp energy to create tools that
00:10:48
interacted directly with real space they
00:10:50
could construct buildings starships even
00:10:53
entire cities almost literally out of
00:10:55
thin air if humanity believed itself on
00:10:58
the cusp of godhood then the Eldar II
00:11:00
had achieved it yet for all this power
00:11:03
the Eldar II seemed to act in erratic
00:11:05
and amoral ways reports from some worlds
00:11:09
described a people of great beauty and
00:11:11
compassion who were willing to
00:11:12
peacefully exchange finely crafted goods
00:11:14
and ideas with human traders others
00:11:17
claim that the Eldar II were a race of
00:11:18
hedonistic monsters who enslaved and
00:11:21
tortured any non eldery they met they
00:11:24
were said to practice every form of
00:11:25
torture and perversion and no human was
00:11:27
safe from their extreme desires even
00:11:30
stranger
00:11:31
no eldery denied that their people acted
00:11:33
in this
00:11:33
way or was concerned by such irrational
00:11:36
extremes the differing accounts of their
00:11:39
nature could not be reconciled in time
00:11:41
humans simply avoided these aliens where
00:11:44
possible if contact was unavoidable
00:11:46
they prayed that the al-douri presented
00:11:48
the better angels of their nature and
00:11:51
humanity known the truth about the
00:11:52
al-douri it would have looked upon them
00:11:54
with a great deal more fear and not a
00:11:57
small amount of envy for Humanity the
00:12:00
immaterial was simply a medium that made
00:12:02
it possible to pursue goals more
00:12:04
efficiently in real space but the
00:12:06
eldora's command of the warp not only
00:12:08
allowed them to reshape the material
00:12:10
world and end all physical hardship it
00:12:13
also let them claim a form of
00:12:14
immortality when in eldora's body
00:12:17
finally wore out after many centuries
00:12:19
their soul simply dissolved into the
00:12:22
immaterial to be swiftly reincarnated
00:12:24
into a new form with the next eldery
00:12:26
birth the result was that each al-douri
00:12:29
viewed existence simply as an unending
00:12:31
waking dream each life's purpose was to
00:12:35
explore the intensity of an emotion like
00:12:37
rage or love to its fullest extent
00:12:39
before the cycle began anew and al-douri
00:12:42
might spend an entire lifetime as a
00:12:44
murderous warrior devoting themselves to
00:12:46
achieving the most perfect expression of
00:12:48
wrath only to be reincarnated in their
00:12:50
next life as a peaceful artists in
00:12:52
pursuit of the ultimate ideal of
00:12:54
physical beauty the details of how this
00:12:57
perfection of experience was to be
00:12:58
achieved were of no consequence to a
00:13:00
species that believed itself perhaps
00:13:02
rightly to be the pinnacle of
00:13:04
intelligent life in the universe such
00:13:07
immortality even protected the elderly
00:13:09
from these threats in real space for as
00:13:11
long as they could reincarnate from the
00:13:12
war no threat ever represented an
00:13:15
extinction-level event this freedom
00:13:17
allowed every eldery to care only for
00:13:19
selfish goals how their individual
00:13:22
quests helped or hurt the lesser races
00:13:24
was as meaningless to them as the life
00:13:26
of an insect was to others it was this
00:13:29
reality that made the al-douri appear so
00:13:32
unpredictable and treacherous as the
00:13:35
22nd millenium drew to a close
00:13:37
humanity moved a step closer to becoming
00:13:39
like those mysterious aliens at that
00:13:42
time a new breed of human psychos began
00:13:44
to be born simultaneously on almost
00:13:46
every world across the galaxy these men
00:13:49
and women were not like navigators but
00:13:51
they had no external mutations and could
00:13:53
do far more than simply gaze into the
00:13:55
immaterial they possess the ability to
00:13:58
directly reshape reality using the
00:14:00
energies of the warp in a manner similar
00:14:02
to the Eldar II some believed them to be
00:14:05
the heralds of further progress
00:14:07
embodiments of humanity's coming
00:14:09
evolution into a fully psychic species
00:14:11
capable of all that the Eldar II had
00:14:13
achieved others were terrified by the
00:14:15
birth of mutants with strange powers
00:14:18
they did not fully understand or control
00:14:20
yet all agreed that their coming would
00:14:22
forever changed the course of mankind's
00:14:24
destiny what none could know was that
00:14:27
these cycles were the harbingers of a
00:14:29
new era
00:14:30
historians later named at the age of
00:14:32
strife but those who lived through its
00:14:34
horrors called it by another name cold
00:14:37
night
