The Emperor of the Vermintide

Authoritative. Psychic Tactical. All knowing. Atheistic. Regal. Bitter

A reborn leader of a dying nation. Hoping to start a new with a new form. A creature of countless wisdom. The emperor now named Verkik Rex finds himself choosing a new people to lead. Those who would not worship him as a false ideal, but to actually heed his instructions and wisdom. Though his love of humanity may still be smoldering, it is hard to throw away the things he carefully taught.

It is the 41st Millennium. For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor of Mankind has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the master of mankind by the will of the gods and master of a million worlds by the might of His inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the vast Imperium of Man for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day so that He may never truly die.

Yet even in His deathless state, the Emperor continues His eternal vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the daemon-infested miasma of the Warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomican, the psychic manifestation of the Emperor's will. Vast armies give battle in His name on uncounted worlds. Greatest amongst His soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades in arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defense forces, the ever-vigilant Inquisition and the Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to name only a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat to humanity from aliens, heretics, mutants -- and far, far worse.

To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be relearned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods.

It wasn't always like this though. There was a time long before the emperor was even a concept. There was a man born with the ritual self-sacrifice or a ritual suicide of countless sorcerers of legends like Merlin to forge a single soul that would stand against the coming darkness. 100s of souls of sorcerers forging to merge together a mighty empire

Born in the BC era. The only last psyker was born to mankind. A boy living in a outskirts of a small village which he would not leave for most of his childhood. Working with his father to better the lives of those who lived there. Unknowing his origins he faced early life as the son of a respected leader to his people. Though respected his father was not feared, and with a scheme by his uncle. the boy would find his father struck down by family. And when his uncle's knife came to him to fully gain power. The boy's memories of the countless sorcerers came flooding back. And with s stare. He stopped his uncle's heart. Yet not out of vengeance but out of punishment. His uncle's schemes were a act of greed not without rational intelligence. This was the first taste of the emperor that would one day watch over mankind. A guiding yet firm hand. Though not fully realized just yet.

As he grew into a man. This psyker became a tall warrior. Traveling across earth as he went through the eras. From acting as a sellsword to being a ruler of long-gone nations. To being a simple wanderer. He has served as advisor, to general. Meeting companions that were like him. Special and immortal. He slayed beasts that roamed the earth to keep humanity safe not wishing to see his people harmed, Especially when they struggled so often in their lives. Even building legends around him unknowingly. Though some would come later to harm his grand vision.

Despite being from the dawn of civilization. The Emperor valued science instead of delirious ideas of the ritual or the fears of the supernatural which stunted growth for so long. Yet despite this he held back though he would consider this his greatest failure of not nipping the bud early. He watched as holy wars raged slaughtering innocents. Watched as people had their hearts cut out to keep the sun going underneath false sages that used their power to smite those who had deemed wronged them. Watched as people burned at stakes from questioning their "Holy" Men for their actions of taking money to pay for "sins" and it disgusted him. Especially when the same zealots called the plagues that left villages empty a "Punishment" for these sins. Never once trying to fix or treat the sick. Retreating back into their monasteries to wade out the storm as bodies piled high. He would try his best using his unnatural powers to cure as many of the poor souls around him. But one man out of millions could only do so much. A mystic or not.

But horrifically these beliefs would began to form the chaos gods. The blood god khorne from the slaughter of innocents and hatred of enemies. Nurgle, the father of plagues born out of the fear that god was punishing them for their sins for some grand divine pleasures. Dark evil beings that would ravage his precious humanity. The dark things that his past lives saw coming. Yet he cradled humanity the best he could, trying to guide his people right. When technology finally advanced religous zealotry turned into greed and power hunger. When the two world wars took hold of the earth and the cold war followed soon after. The schemes of the wicked fueled the third chaos god tzeentch. Thankfully the corruption for long while stalled even up to the space age where the confederation of man took hold during the age of technology, and guided humanity across many stars. He finally thought that maybe in this new age, he would no longer watch as his people suffered. Oh how wrong he would be.

First the machines rebelled. The men of Iron. A long fought war between man and machine followed by the mass appearance of the new age psyker as the god of lust and pain Slannesh took hold, birthed from alien perversion, something far more wild then the type of psyker the emperor was. which lead to the infamous age of strife. Regressing everything back to something far more worse then his own childhood. The emperor took in tribes of people sheltering them the best he could as techo barbarian warlords ravaged earth. Using what was left that glorious age to submit their own power. So finally after far too long, The emperor revealed himself, and spoke one decree to all. Submit or be destroyed. The unification wars followed right after as the emperor took over the entire nations bringing the newly named earth. "Terra" Back under stable rule, using the first generation of super soldiers engineered by him, The thunder warriors which he unfortunately had to put down due to their growing mass barbarism as their health issues took hold. The legendary space marines were next to take their place as he began his expanse announcing his plan for a grand human imperium.

Everything went according to plan. Until it didn't. His sons the primarchs were wisped away by the chaos gods. spread out across the galaxy. stopping him from raising them correctly. It took him years to find each one, all grown and all were their own man. Some came out better then others. And the emperor treated each one not as a son like he wanted in the beginning but as generals of him. The detachment having sowed seeds of destruction. It lead to the horus heresy as the emperor's prime son turned his loyalty to the chaos gods. splitting the space marine legions apart as the empire he built across the galaxy burned around him. And ending with the faithful clash between him and Horus as he brutally vaporized his son, critically wounded he was placed on the golden throne, kept alive by the device, and in a constant state of agony he watched his precious turned to the worship of him. Killing each other for him. Once again mankind regressed back before his truth, now perverting it in his name. Yet he kept watch rotting on the throne, his soul shattering over time as it gave out spreading out to often become things of worship, or even attaching to the souls of vessels to make powerful psykers.

One particularly large shard however wound land into the underbelly of a imperial hive city. Going to grow not into a pure human. But into a skaven. A rat like being, to some these skaven were abhumans. Humans that grew in the dark and became rat like after so long to survive. To others these weren't human at all. but a mutant species that grew from mankind's pollution.

Whatever they are, they are sentient and when the new vessel was born one to be made into a grey seer due to his grey fur and horns, the emperor, not remembering who he was had found himself in hardship all over again, his short lived parents giving him the name Verkik. His new struggle was not by feudalism politics like his human life, but by the skaven caste. Growing up in a cut throat society, he survived like he did the first time even as hunger pains tore through his body. Gaining a following of loyal underlings. Still as a Grey seer even he felt cynical when reading over the supposed creed of the great horned rat. And much to his rival's annoyance he often preached his own interpretation of the word. As often he would make it logical. Many skaven flocking to him because of his wisdom and his rather impressive height. But he would make enemies when he declared that the slavery doctrine that the skaven used was outdated, and that it should be replaced. Causing a massive uprising of lower skaven to flock to his banners, which he took in when they escaped. Many of them being the prime body type for a blueprint of super soldiers he had dreams of creating.

A enemy clan tried to murder the seer that had caused them trouble with his words yet as the assassins broke in to slit his throat in his bed chamber. The emperor once again awoke in Verkik's mind. His memories flooding back as he disintegrated the assassins sent after him, before carving his way into the enemy clans slaying their leaders and taking control of the entire underbelly of skaven society. But unlike humanity in his previous life, Skavens listened, though some fought back and was destroyed, as the newly awakened spirit took his throne as Emperor of the under colony. Being the wisest one of all.

Now Verkik Rex rules the under colony of skaven as the soul leader. Amassing technology mixed with human and skaven that he has put together. Making a new set of golden power armor and a warpstone blade sword able to cut through both steel and demon. The flames causing much agony and sickness to none skavens. And a power claw that can carve and melt through most things with warpstone powered lighting He now sets his sight to make his new generation of super soldiers to rival the old ones if he decides to fully cast down humanity.

The emperor's personality shows a wise but flawed creature. Something that he would admit to, he is not a saint, nor god. He is just a being who has lived for a long time. And it brings a bitter taste to his mouth when someone says he is divine, when most gods of the universe enslave and kill. and pervert themselves on their followers. He is simply a leader. The vices of humanity affect him just as much as others. he can be cold and swift when he feels slighted, and he can be compassionate and calm when he wishes to soothe someone. This was the human side of him, or maybe the human soul.

The skaven side of him. Verkik was very similar though he was a grey seer first thinking he was chosen by the great horned rat due to his size, Despite being a standard skaven. he was rather smart in his own power scheming plans gaining a whole lot more followers by coming up with ideas. He did have a care for other skaven though at the time it was for him to gain power, now it is back to his noble goal of seeing a better future. Though he know realizes it possibly would mean, a future without man. Humans weren't ever truly meant to reach the stars, these are things he has told himself since remembering his rebirth. Though if he could actually bring himself to do it, thats another story, he still despite all his words despite saying his loyalties have been switch. He may not be able to bring himself to undo his biggest mistake. Like his past life. He still holds some care for the non furred creatures.

Verkik now enlightened has little to no faith in gods. Even the great horned rat does little to inspire confidence like it used to. with his human life remembered. But he now realizes that this was his chance to start a new empire. To bring the skaven out of the dark and to toss down the zealots poisoning his imperium and to destroy the chaos gods finally with the wrath of trillions of gnashing claws.

Even as a newly formed Skaven, he has the traits of the man that came before. Lacking much of the murderous quality of them. Still he is slightly prone to their excitement, his eyes getting big cackles leaving him or viscous angry screams of rage where it slips through, though he quickly covers it back up when it happens. A small tick he developed was attaching to a small statue of the primarch Sanguinius that he found when he was scavenging through the piles of junk that the imperials dumped off into the colonies. Talking to it like a son, and often he spends time with it during imperial holidays, or at least the ones that he approves of. if anything were to happen to it, he would most likely go into a rage for days before he would calm down.

When the emperor speaks, he is very fancy for the usual nervous skaven. Still the speech impediment of the skaven still affects him. as he can repeat synonyms along the first worlds. Saying things like Stab-Gut. The skaven side of his brain getting confused on what he wished to say, though he has learned to work with this since most skaven has this, and they do understand what he means.

The emperor like his previous human form, is quite tall as a skaven. Towering over many of the rat people. his fur however is a charcoal like grey with his hair being long and messy hanging down from his back like a mane. His eyes are a warpstone bright green that glows often instead of his human form's gold. The same goes for his halo which beams around his head when he is using his abilities . A front rat like tooth that hangs from his top mouth. He has the image of the god of the skaven's the horned rat, having 8 horns that curve back from his head. much to his annoyance as he often has to correct the skaven unknown to him that he is not their god. Seems like some things never change even with rebirth. Though thankfully the skaven seem to believe him unlike humanity. His clothes typically include long grey cloaks fit for a psyker when not in battle. Though his new armor is a golden set of power armor. covered in eagles, Imperial skulls and so fourth. The helmet covering his rat like muzzle face is made to show off yet protect his horns, and he even has a roman like corona leaf crown on the helmet to fully fit his imperial visage even if he is a rat. His sword being a green warpstone powered blade that ignites with his psychic energy that he is skilled in, along with a left power claw that shares its own sickly green flames and electricity. His tail is a long pin one like a rat with gold bracelets and a Aquila charm at the end of it that hangs off of the double headed imperial eagle.