Old Ones (Union)

The Old Ones were among the first sentient species in the Milky Way galaxy and possibly the rest of the universe as well. They are responsible for the creation of many different species and the massive dimensional network known as the Webway.
== History ==
=== Origins ===
Little is known about the exact origins of the Old Ones, or the true name of their race, as the term "Old Ones" was coined by the Eldar race. It is even possible that the Old Ones were not one particular species, but many working together to build a unified galactic empire.
It is known that they were among the first sentient races of the Milky Way galaxy. At some unknown point, they learned to build advanced technology and travel the stars, colonizing multiple worlds in the process.
=== Building their Empire ===
As their technology advanced and their numbers increased, they soon dominated much of the Milky Way and Minecraftian galaxies. They could terraform planets with ease. What planet would take months or even years for the Union to fully terraform could be done in a mere fraction of the time for the Old Ones.
The Old Ones are credited with the creation of many species, particularly the Jokaero, H'minesh, Eldar, Slann, and Orks. However, it is unknown if they had any hand in the creation of humanity, and even the Forerunners knew absolutely nothing of the Old Ones during their reign of the Milky Way.
Eventually, the Old Ones had become so powerful that they began to manipulate other dimensions. They took notice of the chaotic dimension known as the Immaterium, and began to create Warp gates that could allow instant access to it. They hated the Warp due to its chaotic tides and unpredictability. They eventually partitioned a part of the Warp away to create the ancient Webway, which spanned at least both galaxies. This allowed for safer galactic travel.
=== The War in Heaven ===
The Old Ones would, at one point, encounter a race known as the C'tan, literally vast, god-like ethereal beings that consumed the raw energy of stars. Both races went to war and resulted in a victory for the Old Ones. The surviving C'tan fled, and later discovered a species they could use to their advantage.
The Necrontyr were an ancient, morbid people who, like the Old Ones, had spread throughout much of both galaxies. Their homeworld in the Milky Way's Halo Stars had been constantly beat upon by harmful solar radiation, courtesy of the C'tan known as the Nightbringer, resulting in the Necrontyr's cruel evolution. This gave them relatively short lifespans and cancers that no species should ever have to endure. They managed to escape their homeworld and create an empire, and eventually discovered the Old Ones. They begged for the Old Ones to give them the secrets to immortal life, to which they refused, and the Necrontyr started a short and unsuccessful conflict. It was then that they discovered the C'tan, and built them bodies of living metal so that they could communicate. It was the C'tan that turned the Necrontyr into the mechanical, soulless Necrons. 
The Necrons began a massive conflict, much greater than their previous, against much the Old Ones and other races of the galaxy. The Old Ones had to create more species to use as soldiers during this war, and many of these species were psychically linked to the Warp, creating the first beings known as psykers. The C'tan took note of this, and, being unable to harness the Warp themselves, had the Necrons construct devices such as the Cadian Pylons to ultimately close off the Warp forever and render these psykers useless. 
Little did the Old Ones know that creating psykers would have a devastating effect on them. These beings, now psychically linked to the Warp, had their very thoughts and emotions reflected into the Immaterium, eventually contributing to the creation of multiple Warp-borne beings such as the pantheon of Chaos Gods. The Old Ones' empire began to fall upon the arrival of the Enslavers, a Warp-born species that could control the minds of psykers. Eventually, the Old Ones fell completely, and many of the C'tan were either broken into shards or completely obliterated. The Necrons themselves entered a long-term sleep when their ruler, Szarekh, felt that the War was his fault, and he wished for penance. 
=== Legacy ===
Upon arrival to the Milky Way and Minecraftian galaxies, the transsentient species known as the Precursors noticed how much of both galaxies was left barren and lifeless, save for those species lucky enough to survive the war. They had no idea of the War in Heaven, or even the existence of the Old Ones and Necrontyr. 
While the Old Ones may be gone, their creations continue to exist to this day. Species such as the Eldar and Orks exist within both galaxies, and the mighty H'minesh race dominated much of the Minecraftian Galaxy, that is, until their fall at the hands of Herobrine. 
The ancient Webway continues to exist, though in a mostly fractured state. Multiple sections of the Webway are damaged, and sometimes daemons are able to enter through the Warp. The Webway is still used by the Eldar race, in order to avoid using the Warp, and due to their lack of understanding of slipspace travel. Travel between the Minecraftian and Milky Way galaxies is somewhat possible, due to the existence of the Dark Eldar, though somewhat difficult. Prior to the War in Heaven, there were multiple Webway passages between the galaxies, explaining the Old Ones' existence in both galaxies. Now, only one passage remains, and it is extremely difficult to find, even for the most experienced Webway navigators. 
Around the 41st millennium AS, the Minecraftian Alliance discovered the existence of the Dark Eldar, who were the descendants of those who had been left in the Webway during the Fall of the Eldar. The Dark Eldar, or Drukhari, had built up a great empire within the Webway, known as Commoragh, or the dark city. This city was scattered into various places across the Webway, for the Dark Eldar population was too great for a single star system. 
The possibility of surviving Old Ones seems plausible, but still unlikely. The species known as the Hrud were first encountered by the Union somewhere within the Necros Sector, and they are now one of the primary reasons why the sector is now quarantined. The Hrud had their own religion known as the Slah-Haii, which is very similar to the Eldar's pantheon of gods. One of these gods was named Qah, who had created the Hrud species and hid them in the ground during the War in Heaven. During the Fall of the Eldar, Qah was seemingly shattered by Slaanesh, and his fragments became the mysterious alien race known as the Umbra. Notch took into account that whenever an Umbra died, it psychically screams "Linger", a reference to Qah. 
During the 38th millennium, Notch had saved the lives of over 10 thousand Eldar soldiers. By unknown means, he was instantly taken to the Black Library of Chaos by one of the Eldar Harlequins. Within the Black Library contained all knowledge regarding the Forces of Chaos. When Notch returned, he could not share any information seen, for he had been sworn to powers beyond reckoning. Who or what these "powers beyond reckoning" were is unknown, and even the origins of the Black Library remained mysterious. It is possible that it was constructed by a surviving Old One that continues to guard it to this day. 
It is often theorized that a surviving Old One could be the source behind the Tyranids' hive mind. The Tyranids themselves could be a creation of the Old Ones to destroy their failed creations and wipe clean the slate. The rarity of Tyranids in the Minecraftian Galaxy could be due to the unification of multiple alien species within the Minecraftian Alliance, and it is noted that the Tyranids do eventually leave the Minecraftian Galaxy completely, after the Eldar race ultimately joins the Alliance in the 28th millennium AS.
Category:Species
Category:Union Canon