The dramas of Olympia all revolved around their mythological system. The play currently on stage, Antaram, was a prime example.
In the Olympian pantheon, the gods dwelt on Mount Telephassa. The twin kings ruling the gods were Gozek and Karafes. They also symbolized royal authority; the statues flanking the Tyrant's throne belonged to these two gods.
Antaram was the child of the Twin Kings, a true demigod.
The first act began with Gozek falling in love with a mortal princess of Spibana. Karafes also fell in love with her. The two gods coupled with her on the same day, and Antaram was born.
When Antaram came of age, he inherited his grandfather's throne.
Following tradition, he went to the temple upon his succession to pray to Ananke, the goddess of fate.
He begged for the goddess's favor, to know the future of the king and his kingdom.
The goddess of fate indeed delivered an oracle, "Your kingdom will be destroyed amidst the ravages of other nations."
Panicked and uneasy, Antaram wanted to ask the goddess for details, but the goddess remained silent.
"Fate does not explain. It only declares."
Desperate to save his people, Antaram decided to climb Mount Telephassa.
Thus began the second act.
Knowing his parentage, he sought help from his two fathers.
Mortals could not reach the mountaintop; it was the domain of the gods. But Antaram was a demigod, not bound by this restriction.
After nine days and nights of climbing, he finally reached Mount Telephassa.
However, the gods already knew his purpose. The Twin Kings were utterly cold towards him.
Antaram had thought his fathers would help, but not only did Gozek refuse, he also wanted to reclaim Antaram's divine bloodline as punishment for his trespass into the divine realm.
Gozek: "My son, you have the cowardice of mortals within you! If you cannot prove yourself, you are unworthy of being a god's child!"
Just as Antaram was in despair, only the life goddess, Hefne, pitied him and pleaded for him, but the Twin Kings were unmoved.
Karafes: "Then let him face the Cage of Divine Punishment! If he survives, I will acknowledge his divinity!"
Thus, Antaram was locked in a cage, suspended over a cliff, exposed to the sun, wind, and rain.
The Cage of Divine Punishment sealed the divine half of his bloodline. Trapped inside, he was no different from a mortal.
After seven days and seven nights, Antaram was near death. The life goddess, in her compassion, secretly sent a divine spirit on the seventh night to bestow upon him a golden apple branch.
The golden apple branch bore one golden apple each day. Sheltered by it, Antaram endured another nine days and nights.
Seeing he still hadn't died, Gozek flew into a rage. That night, he secretly brought down thunder, trying to strike Antaram dead.
Antaram used the golden apple branch to defend himself. The Cage of Divine Punishment remained intact under the divine wrath, but the cage's lock broke.
Antaram seized the opportunity to escape, plummeting into the abyss.
Freed from the cage, Antaram regained his divine power.
The demigod was battered from the fall but miraculously survived. The golden apple branch remained intact, even producing a golden apple that restored Antaram's health.
Antaram fled back to the kingdom of Spibana. The story now entered its third act.
He didn't tell the people the truth. Instead, he used the golden apple branch to declare that the kingdom had received the gods' blessing. The miracle of the golden apple was genuine, and the people rejoiced.
Only Antaram understood that the gods would not favor them. Fate was rolling forward. His kingdom would be destroyed.
To protect his kingdom, Antaram used the golden apples as rewards to recruit the kingdom's strongest warriors.
Warriors who ate the golden apples gained power second only to a demigod. Each could fight a hundred men. Under Antaram, there were eight hundred such warriors!
Antaram was resolved, "If my kingdom is to be destroyed by the ravages of other nations, then I shall destroy those nations first!"
The fourth act saw Antaram begin his conquest.
His army was immensely powerful. Other nations could not withstand the assault of the Golden Apple Legion. They had to turn to the gods they served.
Tanatoi, the god of death, bestowed a blessing. The murder cult that worshipped him sent their most powerful assassins to kill Antaram and end this disaster.
Antaram was already a demigod and had consumed many golden apples, making him far more powerful than his warriors.
The assassin, using all his strength, only managed to pierce Antaram's breastplate, leaving a scar on his body.
In the fifth act, Antaram had conquered all nations, only one remained.
His warriors easily breached the city walls. Antaram found the king in the palace.
At this point, Antaram almost had victory in his grasp.
But he was horrified to discover that the old man on the throne had the same face as Gozek. This king was Gozek's mortal incarnation!
Antaram's mighty army was annihilated in an instant. Only Antaram, relying on the golden apple branch, could withstand Gozek's wrath.
But ultimately, a mortal's strength was insufficient.
The golden apple branch was eventually struck down by thunder. Yet Gozek did not kill Antaram. He wanted him to pay for his foolish actions.
Before Antaram's eyes, Gozek destroyed the kingdom of Spibana. Not one of his people survived. His kingdom was destroyed amidst the ravages of other nations; the prophecy was fulfilled.
Overwhelmed by grief and pain, Antaram begged for death as release. But Gozek dragged him back to Mount Telephassa, locked him back in the Cage of Divine Punishment, and locked the golden apple branch inside as well.
From then on, Antaram was forever imprisoned in the Cage of Divine Punishment, surviving on the golden apples the branch bore. As further punishment, Gozek arranged for an eagle to watch him. Whenever Antaram tried to commit suicide or starve himself, the eagle would revive him with a golden apple.
He was condemned to eternal torment.
Caelan marveled, "Classic narrative technique. Mortals challenging gods inevitably end in ruin. Fate always fulfills its prophecies in the cruelest way. It's very similar to ancient Greek myths."
Perturabo said, "There are as many interpretations of Antaram as there are people. Those who believe in the gods see Antaram's foolishness. I see his courage in defying the gods."
"He once believed in the gods, but they were stingy with their favor."
"When he decided to rebel against the gods, it was to protect his people."
"Priests use fabricated stories to fool the people, threaten mortals with divine punishment, and try to keep people living in the shadow of faith."
Dammekos slowly shook his head, "The story might not be fabricated. Antaram's kingdom once really existed. Lokos's ancient texts detail that earth-shattering war and the historical fact of the Golden Apple Legion sweeping across nations."
Calliphone added softly, "Historical records say the war that swept Olympia happened over six hundred years ago. The current twelve city-states were all built on the ruins of that disaster."
"The myths might be false, but the war could have been real."
Perturabo was familiar with this history, but because the records were so absurd, he had also considered them mythological tales. He had never believed in the existence of the Olympian gods.
Caelan said, "On ancient Terra, there were two major religious systems, Christianity and Islam."
"Their doctrinal differences and power struggles led to countless bloody conflicts over millennia. Every religious war soaked the land in blood, countless lives slaughtered under the banner of faith."
"Yet the gods they believe in, God and Allah, likely refer to the same entity."
"In Christianity, Jesus is the holy son born of the Virgin Mary, the messenger of God."
"In Islam, Jesus is called the Messiah. His mother is also the Virgin Mary. He is the prophet and messenger of Allah."
"Both believe in Jesus and the Messiah. Those who don't believe in Jesus aren't Christians; those who don't believe in the Messiah aren't Muslims."
"God created Adam from clay; Allah created Adam from clay."
"Adam's spouse is Eve, created from Adam's rib. Adam's spouse is Hawwa, created from Adam's rib."
"Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden; Adam and Hawwa also lived in the Garden of Eden."
"Eve, tempted by the serpent, ate the forbidden fruit and gave it to Adam, and they were cast out of Eden."
"Hawwa and Adam, tempted by a demon, ate the forbidden fruit and were cast out of the Garden of Eden."
"Adam and Eve, cast out of Eden, populated humanity; Adam and Hawwa also populated humanity."
"The serpent that tempted Eve was an incarnation of Satan. The demon that tempted Hawwa and Adam was Iblis, sometimes also called Shaitan."
"Satan attempted to usurp the position of the one true God, fell and became a devil, and will be cast into the lake of fire for eternal punishment on Judgement Day."
"Iblis is a jinn created by Allah from fire, cast down as a devil for refusing to obey Allah's command."
"God's archangel is Gabriel; Allah's archangel is Jibril."
"God also has an archangel named Michael; Allah also has an archangel named Michael."
"God has Raphael; Allah has Israfil."
"The two religious systems have fundamental theological differences, but their mythologies are strikingly similar. Much evidence indicates that the gods they believe in likely refer to the same entities."
Caelan paused slightly. "The Olympian gods might be false, but belief in any 'god' probably has the same direction, flowing towards specific entities."
Caelan didn't name names because there were outsiders present. But Perturabo knew who he meant, the four in the Warp.
Perturabo had never seen Them, but he wouldn't doubt Their existence like he doubted the Olympian gods. Because he could truly see the Eye of Terror, and Caelan said They indeed existed.
The avatars of the four Chaos Gods are infinite. Even the unknown gods in obscure corners are likely avatars of Them. This is not only because the domains of the four Chaos Gods encompass everything, but also because They have devoured countless newborn minor Warp gods. These weak gods are devoured as snacks by the four as soon as they are born.
Thus, the faith that once flowed to these minor Warp gods naturally flows to the four Chaos Gods who devoured them. For example, Slaanesh devoured almost all the gods of the Aeldar pantheon, so the faith once directed to those gods now goes to Slaanesh.
The other three have devoured even more.
Khorne is the god of war, courage, and slaughter. He can also be the True Martial Demon-Suppressing Heavenly Sovereign.
Tzeentch is the god of wisdom, knowledge, deceit. He can also be the Ten-Thousand-Transformations Pure Treasure Heavenly Sovereign.
Nurgle is the god of life, health, plague. He can also be the Eternal Longevity Heavenly Sovereign.
Slaanesh is the god of pleasure, art, love. He can also be the Yin-Yang Supreme Bliss Heavenly Sovereign.
Each of Them is infinitely mutable.
The Olympian gods, if they ever existed, have likely also been devoured as snacks by the four Chaos Gods by now.
Perhaps every race originally had its own gods. But their gods were unfortunately not powerful enough. Their domains inevitably overlapped with the four Chaos Gods, so they were devoured as soon as they were born. If these races didn't realize this in time, their entire race would be doomed by this toxic faith.
Some races are luckier; their gods survived the four's grasp, hiding in the Warp while protecting their believing races.
Currently, the only race in the galaxy that seems immune is the Orks.
Humanity's old gods were likely long devoured by the four, and humanity has not yet birthed its own new gods.
So they cannot believe in any god right now. Even those seemingly noble and bright gods likely point to the four Chaos Gods. Once the four exert their influence, any religion that believes in Them would instantly become a breeding ground for corruption.
Humanity has no choice.
The more Caelan understood humanity's current situation, the more he grasped the urgency and necessity of the Imperial Truth.
"Father," Perturabo said, "if believing in 'gods' creates gods, wouldn't believing in the Imperial Truth also create a god of the Imperial Truth?"
Caelan thought for a moment. "If humanity ever truly worships the Imperial Truth as a god, the Emperor would be the first to oppose it!"
This isn't a contradiction; times change, and ideologies must change with them. Even if that god of the Imperial Truth luckily escaped the four's grasp, who could guarantee it wasn't one of their schemes?
"But for a god of the Imperial Truth to be born, humanity would have to worship the Imperial Truth as a god. However, the Imperial Truth is atheistic, denying the existence of gods. So faith in the Imperial Truth wouldn't be directed at a specific entity. Theoretically, it would be very difficult for a god of the Imperial Truth to be born."
In the 40K era, there's a race called the Tau. The reason the Greater Good produced a god of the Greater Good, T'au'va, was because the auxiliary races truly worshipped the Greater Good as a god. The underlying logic is, you have to think it's a god first for it to become a god. Even thinking it is wrong; thinking it is a crime!
So as long as humanity doesn't treat the Imperial Truth as a god, they will never produce a god of the Imperial Truth.
But this logic is hard to apply to the four Chaos Gods, because They are self-proving. Whether humanity believes They are gods is meaningless, because countless other races devoutly worship Them and Their avatars.
Perturabo asked, "So what exactly is the Imperial Truth?"
"What is it?" Caelan showed a faintly self-deprecating smile. "It's the Maginot Line. Its purpose isn't to prevent enemy invasion, but to make the enemy go around it."
The Maginot Line, like the Great Wall, was built not to stop enemy invasion but to aid the defenders. Whether it can actually hold depends on who is defending. If faced with an able commander, they wouldn't even need to defend; they could just attack.
The Maginot Line's strategy was successful. The morally superb Third Reich didn't breach it; they just went around it.
When the Central Plains dynasties failed to hold the Great Wall, it wasn't the Wall's fault; it was the dynasty's fault. When France failed to hold the Maginot Line in WWII, it wasn't the Line's fault; it was the fault of the white flag army.
When two people duel with swords, if the sword breaks, it's the sword's fault. If the sword doesn't break, the wielder is outmatched.
The Imperial Truth is the Maginot Line of the 30th millennium, designed to prevent corruption from fermenting among the common people.
In canonical history, corruption started from the top. The four Chaos Gods didn't breach the Imperial Truth's defenses; They just went around it. And once a defense line is bypassed, no matter how strong it is, it loses its meaning and will only be abandoned over time.
"You have forsaken the gods! This is divine punishment!"
On stage, the troupe was performing the fourth act of Antaram.
The murder cult worshipping Tanatoi, the god of death, had sent out a large number of assassins, surrounding the actor playing Antaram. The actors playing the Golden Apple Legion lay on the ground.
"This isn't right." Dammekos frowned. In the original script, wasn't there only one assassin? Why were there so many? And why were they pulling out pistols? Didn't assassins use rifles?
The blood in Dammekos's body seemed to freeze in an instant, because he saw the actors playing the assassins now uniformly aiming their dark gun barrels in his direction.
"Die! Blasphemer!"
The assassins shouted fanatically and pulled their triggers.
Bang bang bang!
The assassins fired their guns, shooting several rounds at Dammekos. Their target wasn't just Dammekos; they wanted to wipe out his entire family!
Screams immediately erupted in the hall. Nobles and citizens fled in panic.
Perturabo's pupils contracted sharply. He reacted within a nanosecond, shielding Caelan and his sister with his broad back.
He was a Primarch; even dozens of bullets wouldn't kill him. But his sister and father were mere mortals; they couldn't withstand bullets.
But even a Primarch couldn't protect everyone in this situation. Dammekos and Herakon were too far away, sitting several meters away. He couldn't protect them all at once.
But at that critical moment, time seemed to freeze.
Caelan's voice was muffled, a bit breathless. "Move aside, A-Bo. You're squeezing me, I can't breathe."
Only then did Perturabo realize he had let go. His peripheral vision caught dozens of bullets suspended in mid-air, enveloped in blue ripples like amber.
Caelan hadn't acted for so long that Perturabo had nearly forgotten that his father was a psyker.
....
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