Ghur
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G’day mates. Welcome to the Australia of the Mortal Realms. Ghur is the Realm of Beasts and one of the most dead ‘ard places you’ll ever find.
Fun note; the name Ghur likely originates from the onomatopoeia for growling, which is "grrrr!"
Overview
On the surface, it appears to be absolutely pristine. Clear blue skies. Wide open savannas. Clean water. And herds upon herds of creatures and other magnificent fauna. But that’s only the physical attributes. In actuality, Ghur is what you get if you throw Fenris, Cretacia, Nocturne, and Catachan together in a foul bowl, add a small dosage of Chaos, mix it together, then eat the whole fucking thing and shit it out.
It is a brutal, brutal realm, resulting in the creation of equally brutal inhabitants, from Humans and Orruks to creatures almost analogous to Tyranids, even the land may want to get on the action. Mountains will shake to create avalanches in order to destroy a forest that took root there. Rivers slowly chip away at the land around it for more room to flow. Tectonic plates will grind against each other to produce rough and uneven terrain to prevent roaming warbands from traveling across them. Everything here is part of a giant food chain, and everything is simultaneously predator and prey.
The (crazy) people who live in Ghur are master survivalists, typically living in nomadic societies or building small easily movable structures. The few traditional cities tend to build massive spike-traps as moats around their city in order to skewer any giant monster that tries to renact a Godzilla film. If these traps work, the city typically gets enough meat to feed itself for a month. Seers and other mystics have learned how to read the realm’s constantly shifting landscape and create charts that map out when the land will change and how much it changes. Expectedly, said charts are quite expensive and typically only city officials, military commanders, and high level merchants can afford them.
Might makes right is the defining law of the Realm and you’d be a fool not to follow it. Expectedly, the forces of Destruction are the most prevalent here, being the birthplace of the Ironjawz Orruks, the home base for the largest Ogor Mawtribes, and possessing the largest gatherings of Gargants in any realm. Another noteworthy faction are the Beastmen of the Allherd Greatfray, whose herds are spread to every corner of Ghur and beyond. On each continent of Ghur can be found herdstones or other ruinous glyphs depicting the conquests of the Beastmen, reminding everyone just how far their influence is.
Gorkamorka is in charge of this realm, but in this case it's less because of a harmonious bond - though Gorkamorka's primal nature resonates with Ghur - but due to the fact that Gorkamorka is the strongest being native to the realm.
Unsurprisingly, the majority of Stormcasts in the tribal and barbaric Astral Templars trace their former mortal lives to this Realm.
History
While the other Realms had near existential crises over the Age of Chaos, Ghur basically looked at the incoming Chaos hordes and said “Fuck yeah! Christmas came early!” The natives of Ghur were ecstatic to have fresh bodies to fight against and new food to hunt. Over time and numerous Chaos Vanguards, the people become stronger and hardier. This is best exemplified with the Orruks, who would become so strong and big that they would eventually become the very first Ironjawz.
Notable Locations/Regions
Beastgrave
A colossal and ominous living mountain made from the corpses of (presumably) dead god beasts. Those who gaze upon its looming visage are filled with mixed feelings of curiosity and repulsion. It’s described as a Lovecraftian nightmare; an eldritch place with a will of its own that calls to many people far and wide through dreams/visions, beckoning them to come to Beastgrave to claim fame, fortune, or whatever it is that person wants most. Those hapless few that do heed the call will find themselves wandering endlessly in its cavernous interior, either killed by other adventurers or by Beastgrave itself and consumed. It’s kind of like FB’s Great Maw in a sense, the comparisons becoming more apparent when you meet the primitive tribe of Neanderthals that live at the base of Beastgrave and regularly offer live sacrifices to the mountain. Most recently, the mountain has become even more treacherous when Nagash’s Necroquake shook the Realms and caused the cursed city of Shadespire to meld with Beastgrave. Now the immortal denizens of the Shyish city stalk the mountain, rousing long dead corpses within Beastgrave and drawing more potential prey into its insatiable insides. However, the sheer amount of death magic suddenly appearing in its cavernous guts caused Beastgrave to basically vomit up pools of viscous Amber, revealing its deepest and most treacherous passages collectively called Direchasm.
The Great Gutfort
The mountainous fortress of the Meatfist Mawtribe located on the continent of Thondia in the Ghurish Heartlands. While it’s of course a place of great reverence for the Ogors, most natives of Ghur will turn to face the gluttonous bastion in respect. Warglutts and Alfrostuns regularly leave its gates on raids and then return with heaps of treasure and food. All the loot is gathered together by the Overtyrant Globb Glittermaw and then used to throw celebratory feasts to flaunt their wealth. The Gutfort itself has been targeted on numerous occasions by Chaos hordes, Stormcast chambers, Ossirarch legions, and even rival Mawtribes. Its defense is handled by the lesser tribes/gatherings of Ogors in the Meatfist; only the most prestigious are allowed on the mawpath alongside Globb, who is seldom actually seen at his own Gutfort since he’s constantly out raiding.
Excelsis
Home base of the Knights Excelsior and one of the most zealous places of worship to the Hammer God. Located on the continent of Thondia, it is a very “black and white” morality place where no quarter is given for even the tiniest hint of infidelity, and all loyalists must constantly prove their zealotry to the point where flagellants look rational in comparison. Funnily enough, the city has been targeted by several chaos forces, from Slaanesh manipulating the Stormcast garrison to “purge the city of all heretics” to break one of the chains imprisoning him, to numerous Tzeentch cabals plotting the city’s downfall. Most recently, the city was attacked from below by a Skaven invasion, before being besieged by the Great Waaagh! of Gordrakk and the newly awakened Kragnos. And while THAT was going down, a Slaaneshi cult rose up too and attacked the city from within. It was only thanks to the surprise arrival of Lord Kroak and Morathi-Khaine that the sea of enemies was parted, though Excelsis has since been decimated.
Sascathran Desert
A vast plain of shifting sand dotted with ruins of long past civilizations. The real point of interest though is what lies beneath, the hive-like catacombs and fortresses the Avengori Dynasty call home. From this underground kingdom, the Vengorian Lords strike out to hunt monsters and slake their thirst. Not too far out from the desert is the shattered remains of a free city called the Collonade, serving as a warning to anyone who tries to betray the Avengorii.
The Gnarlwood
Jungle of carnivorous plants in Ghur's heartland in Thondia, created from a crashed Seraphon temple ship. Currently being fought over by the Horns of Hashut and Rotmire Creed.
Bestiary
- Vulture-stings: Named by Herdchief Groth the Rootcutter, these dog-sized bees will inject venom into live prey and then follow them until the prey expires. Then the droning insects feast upon the corpse. Additionally, like real insects, they are fond of sweet nectar like substances, like the blood-sap of Sylvaneth. They have some instinctive ‘honor system’, as when a vulture-sting chooses/stings a target, no other scavenger will attempt to steal its prize.
- Snarlfangs: Large wolves with venomous saliva they use to enfeeble prey. The Gitmob Grots will steal newborn snarlfangs and use them as savage mounts. Each wolf and rider are bound together when the snarlfang pup first meets its Grot rider. However this won’t stop the snarlfangs from turning on the grots should they be provoked enough.
- Puffed Spinetoad: A venomous amphibian that secretes toxic slime from the row of spikes on its back. Said slime is commonly harvested for coating blades and arrow tips.
Trivia
- The realmstone of Ghur is called Amberbone due to its cosmetic similarity to actual bones except for its faint glow. Being a manifestation of the realm's magic, Amberbone is capable of corrupting those who touch it. At the weakest, this might just channel some innate primal aggression, but its most extreme cases involve people transforming into savage monsters.
Gallery
The Nine Realms of the Age of Sigmar | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Hysh | ||||
Ghur | Chamon | |||
Aqshy | Realm of Chaos | Ghyran | ||
Shyish | Azyr | |||
Ulgu |