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So the big E has been trying to create a united planet for aeons and could be several of the famous warlords throughout history...

He likes elite armies...

He likes eagles motifs...

He likes persecuting the religious...

Aside from possibly being involved in the Roman empire as Emperor (possibly a few times) as mentioned previously in this thread, there's another distinct possibility

Oh dear...

I'd actually liken the Emperor to a Czar of the Russian Empire.

ph34r wrote:The Emperor is the reincarnated form of hundreds of old earth shamans. He "has" as many names, though his reincarnation might not even remember them. Or care.

This. I remember them talking about this in an IC podcast.

My guess is, WW3 happened, everything reverted back to the Stone Age, psykers appeared, a major group of them came along and were like, "Hey, let's go uber on their and then take over space, yeah?"

What-THERE IS NO GOD.
but then again he was made into a god in the end...

I should think the Emperor purposely keeps his real name hidden so that he can't be controlled or bound in the same way daemons, and seemingly everything else can. There is much power in a name. I'll cite the end of Prospero Burns as a reference, but won't spoil it.

Doop Dude wrote:

ph34r wrote:The Emperor is the reincarnated form of hundreds of old earth shamans. He "has" as many names, though his reincarnation might not even remember them. Or care.

This. I remember them talking about this in an IC podcast.

My guess is, WW3 happened, everything reverted back to the Stone Age, psykers appeared, a major group of them came along and were like, "Hey, let's go uber on their and then take over space, yeah?"

That doesn't work unless the clock also reset. We used to have an approximate date for the Emperor's birth(~8,000 B.C.).

Sometimes preventing people from humanizing you makes you a more powerful ruler. Elizabeth I wore heavy face powder to make herself seem grim and unearthly. Japanese God-Emperors actually have no official name - currently, the man named Akihito is referred to as "His Imperial Majesty," and will only be officially named as "Emperor Heisei" after his demise. Fundamentalist Islam forbids the making of any image of Muhammed. Pretty much every monarchic nation has a tradition of taking on a name of state or even completely shedding their name when someone ascends to the throne. It's all a way of making yourself seem divine and inhuman, and it has an effect even in secular societies. Anyone who is so important that they can go without having a name is clearly powerful enough to demand respect.

Platuan4th wrote:

Doop Dude wrote:

ph34r wrote:The Emperor is the reincarnated form of hundreds of old earth shamans. He "has" as many names, though his reincarnation might not even remember them. Or care.

This. I remember them talking about this in an IC podcast.

My guess is, WW3 happened, everything reverted back to the Stone Age, psykers appeared, a major group of them came along and were like, "Hey, let's go uber on their and then take over space, yeah?"

That doesn't work unless the clock also reset. We used to have an approximate date for the Emperor's birth(~8,000 B.C.).

I see. Ok, my new guess is that these psykers have been around for yonkderks then.