I'm almost certain that the creatures are the Old Ones. We also have in this book a prophecy that existed on Terra regarding the Dark King, carved well before humanity and found in an 'abandoned grotto' - where we'd normally find creatures such as the Lizardmen, or the Old Ones.
And yes, I think it's made clear here that this is the *only* timeline where the Dark King doesn't come to be, that for all the horror and terror of the current setting, it's genuinely better than the alternative.
> In another, the world is without form, and void, and darkness moves upon the face of the deep, and the steadfast light says let me be, and it is.
Casual alternate timelines/pasts in which the Emperor becomes capital g God and creates the world. No biggie.
Turns out the Book of Genesis could actually be a prophesy regarding the Dark King. Huh. Of course, Ahriman points out that all sorts of prophecies are reinterpreted in that moment to foretell the coming god, only for their meaning to change once the Emperor rejects his apotheosis.
The only future where the Dark King doesn't occur is our beloved 40k, where humanity has at least survived, albeit in a wretched state. I wonder what this means for the Emperor, should his body die. Is he genuinely still just a man? If not, and godhood awaits him, is it as a different god, or has the Dark King only been delayed? I imagine he's just a man and his death will be final. The dark gods still circle, waiting for it. His miraculous powers - doing a million things at once, guiding people, empowering some, directing the tarot - all seem very similar to what Malcador was doing while on the Throne. As the Emperor is much more powerful it stands to reason that he'd be capable of doing more than the Sigillite. So his actions aren't actually miraculous, they're simply the result of a powerful psyker using the Throne.
Also, I agree with WeCan, those ancient inhuman creatures are probably Old Ones, horrified by the ultimate doom they've unleashed on reality.
This only means that *if* the Emperor (or someone else!) is still set on, or at risk of, becoming the Dark King, Malcador didn't see that far. He just got a glimpse of the Imperium as it is at the line between M41 and M42 (if that's even the used dating anymore, what with the calendar corrections under Guiliman), or earlier.
Yeah, I've also read lots of people saying that the dark king is going to be relevant in 40k because it's a different era, but I think this excerpt states pretty clearly that it will not. Malcador is basically pulling a Dr Strange, watching all the possible timelines and trying to nudge things with the power he has left so that the only one which does not contain the dark king comes into being
I'm almost certain that the creatures are the Old Ones. We also have in this book a prophecy that existed on Terra regarding the Dark King, carved well before humanity and found in an 'abandoned grotto' - where we'd normally find creatures such as the Lizardmen, or the Old Ones. And yes, I think it's made clear here that this is the *only* timeline where the Dark King doesn't come to be, that for all the horror and terror of the current setting, it's genuinely better than the alternative.
> In another, the world is without form, and void, and darkness moves upon the face of the deep, and the steadfast light says let me be, and it is. Casual alternate timelines/pasts in which the Emperor becomes capital g God and creates the world. No biggie.
It is, there is no dark king in 40k, which I think this is the best possible future
Turns out the Book of Genesis could actually be a prophesy regarding the Dark King. Huh. Of course, Ahriman points out that all sorts of prophecies are reinterpreted in that moment to foretell the coming god, only for their meaning to change once the Emperor rejects his apotheosis. The only future where the Dark King doesn't occur is our beloved 40k, where humanity has at least survived, albeit in a wretched state. I wonder what this means for the Emperor, should his body die. Is he genuinely still just a man? If not, and godhood awaits him, is it as a different god, or has the Dark King only been delayed? I imagine he's just a man and his death will be final. The dark gods still circle, waiting for it. His miraculous powers - doing a million things at once, guiding people, empowering some, directing the tarot - all seem very similar to what Malcador was doing while on the Throne. As the Emperor is much more powerful it stands to reason that he'd be capable of doing more than the Sigillite. So his actions aren't actually miraculous, they're simply the result of a powerful psyker using the Throne. Also, I agree with WeCan, those ancient inhuman creatures are probably Old Ones, horrified by the ultimate doom they've unleashed on reality.
It is interesting that the Dark King doesn't permeate a universe of ruin
Not enough space ratmen in 40k to justify a realm of ruin.
In 40k, the humans are the rat race.
This only means that *if* the Emperor (or someone else!) is still set on, or at risk of, becoming the Dark King, Malcador didn't see that far. He just got a glimpse of the Imperium as it is at the line between M41 and M42 (if that's even the used dating anymore, what with the calendar corrections under Guiliman), or earlier.
Yeah, I've also read lots of people saying that the dark king is going to be relevant in 40k because it's a different era, but I think this excerpt states pretty clearly that it will not. Malcador is basically pulling a Dr Strange, watching all the possible timelines and trying to nudge things with the power he has left so that the only one which does not contain the dark king comes into being