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Cathay

2022-07-20T12:48:24Z

2001:8003:1C20:8C00:D5C9:8659:B360:48D6: /* Yin-Yin */

[[File:Warhammer-the-old-world-grand-cathay-580x334.jpg|thumb|right|580px|Insert Bamboo flute and Erhu music here.]]
{{Topquote|Goddamn <s>Mongorians</s> Hungs! Stop tearing down my shitty warr''!|What the Cathayans have to say roughly 12 times every hour or so}}
{{Topquote|Those in other nations may deny it, but all mortals desire control. To be controlled, that is. Why else would they conjure these northern Gods that obsess in dominating the very creatures that brought them into being?|Yuan Bo, The Jade Dragon, Ruler of the Central Provinces and the Celestial Court}}

'''Cathay''' is the uninspired name for the analogue to [[China]] in the [[Warhammer Fantasy]] universe. That said, it is at least marginally more inspired than their name for the Japan analogue (and only because [[Nippon]] is a better-known name for Japan than Cathay is for China in Europe).

Until 2021, we had next to no information about them beyond token mentions in old novels and rulebooks. This all changed with [https://www.totalwar.com/blog/total-war-warhammer-iii-faq/ Total War Warhammer 3] finally fleshing out the faction.

==Forge World Sneak Peak==
''[[Tamurkhan: Throne of Chaos]]'', a book from [[Forge World|Forge World's]] fantasy line, quite surprisingly contains a battle scene where the forces of Cathay are involved. This is the first time Cathay's forces are shown in a major way. A chaos sorcerer dupes a Beastman army into attacking the Tower of Ashshair, a Cathayan watchtower outpost at the edge of the [[Ogre Kingdoms]] which it uses to scry on the Old World. Its defenders included fancy bronze cannon that shoot harpoons, "crow-men", stone "temple dogs", elite warriors with back-banners and "thousand-folded" swords, and "Dragon-blooded Shugengan" who wield elemental magics (fire, water, earth, air and wood). In other words, your usual collection of oriental cliches, [[Derp|mostly Japanese]].

Prior to Total War: Warhammer III (and the faction's impending backport to The Old World), this was the closest thing we got to an official Cathay army list along with the mention of them having elementals under their control in the Vampire Genevieve books.

But then, things get interesting when the Tower's garrison started to get overwhelmed by the [[Beastmen]]'s numbers. The Tower turns the tide by dropping a frikking' [[Warhammer_Magic#Celestial: Wind of Azyr, Lore of the Heavens |Comet of Casandora]] into the horde, then starts sending "strange creatures of living stone" that can swim through the ground and minotaur-suplexing "living statues of onyx" to beat the shit out of the survivors.

==How come all this lore is new?==
Grand Cathay has been listed in Warhammer's Lore since the early days, a location that was referenced on numerous occasions. A vast human Empire standing against chaos on the Eastern End of the primary continent with a role in the history of the world. It is based on a real-life civilization whose history and mythology could easily be mined for inspiration as Medieval France or Early Modern Germany or Norse and Egyptian mythology and the general melange of 20th-century fantasy. The setting could have been easily expanded with new stories and armies by developing Cathay, all without upsetting the stuff which people liked.

But until 2021 Games Workshop did not.

Despite being both vast, wealthy and powerful Cathay was just a background element. A land which was almost exclusively referenced indirectly in regards to other races (Hellstorm Rocket Batteries were based on Cathayan fireworks, Cathay once sent a fleet to Lustria that fought the lizardmen, etc) and with only a few scant scraps of lore to itself. We did not even have as much as a mercenary unit in The Dogs of War.

Exactly why this was the case is up in the air. Maybe the original GW guys were not into Chinese history and mythology. Maybe they could not get worthwhile reference material (a large part of this was pre-internet and what print material you could get on Imperial China in the 1980s was not as good as what we have now). Maybe they had it in a to-do list that just kept growing. Maybe they did not feel that Cathay was particularly relevant to the stories they wanted to tell. Maybe they were afraid of it turning out like the [[Pygmies (Warhammer Fantasy)|Pygmies]]. Maybe it was some combination of these and other elements.

Similar to the world building of Song of Ice and Fire, where the further East on a map a location is the more strange and unknown things get, details about Cathay remained shrouded in mystery and speculation.

[[Awesome|Fortunately, this has now changed.]]

==Final Mentions in Rulebooks==
According to the eight ed BRB, the Kurgans once mounted a massive raid on Cathay's Great Bastion. Which is funny, because Kurgans are basically Chaos-Turko Slavs to the Norscan's Chaos Vikings. [[Derp|Funnily enough, even though TWWH3 is responsible for bringing the fluff to life for the first time, the Kurgans that attack the Great Bastion every 5 turns or so in-game are Norscan (complete with Mammoths), rather than the Turkic Chaos Warriors they're described as in fluff.]]

In the [[End Times|end times]], they are invaded by Chaos and [[skaven]]. Remarkably, the dragon emperor drives out the Skaven and stalemates the forces of chaos, but ultimately loses to [[Grimgor Ironhide|Grimgor's]] massive WAAAGH! The ruins of Cathay become the stage for an endless battle between the orcs and the remaining forces of chaos. Grimgor himself gets teleported away as he had become Incarnate of Beasts, and when the last effort to save the world fails, Cathay is destroyed along with the rest of the planet, revealed in [[Age of Sigmar]] to have been called Mallus. The exact fate of the Dragon Emperor and his family are unknown.

== Old Mentions from Novels ==
In the novel Beasts in Velvet, and the short story Red Thirst there is a Cathayan character named Dien Ch'ing(狄恩青). He is secretly a Tzeenchian cultist who impersonated a Cathayan ambassador (which he had murdered and taken the name from). He is also a celestial wizard and is capable of using the classic five elemental magic (which are Tzeetch demons who disguised as those elements). From the same novel, it also tells the story of how when the monkey king was but a young prince he was able to trick the 5 elemental demons into fighting one another.

According to the novel '''Guardian of the Forest''', the knight featured in the novel: '''Leofric Carrard''' traveled to Cathay and slew the '''Jade Dragon''' of the '''Emerald River''', and saved the wives of the '''Emperor Zhang-Jimou''' from decapitation by the Executioner Cult of the '''Jade Pearl'''.

In the [[Nagash]]'s novel, it was mentioned that back when Lahmia was not crawling with vampires, they were rich due to its geographic locations that they were able to trade with the Cathayan through seaborne. Notable items like silk were a common trade in Lahmia and were fancied among the Lahmian nobles and its royalties. The Cathayan eat spicy seafood just like in real life, and the Lahmians enjoyed their cuisine during important events.

The Cathayan were brilliant schemers that they made a deal with Neferata's dad '''Lamasheptra''', who was desperate to save his sister Neferem from Nagash by paying them lots of gold every year (or by land, the city of Lahmia if they couldn't pay) in exchange to acquire Cathayan's cutting edge gunpowder weaponry. As a result, the Cathayan not only profit from this, they made a new deal a few years later after Lamasheptra's death with Neferata now in charge, telling her that they had found a new gold mine in one of their provinces, forcing the Lahmian to pay more gold to keep up with the new deal.

Unfortunately for the Cathayan, Neferata had given some of her vampire potion to erase the debt. The man she gave the potion to: '''Prince Xian Ha Feng''', one of the Dragon Emperor's sons sent to negotiate with Lahmia, not only drank the potion but also bought some of it back to Cathay where the vampire corruption soon spread. With enough immortal bloodsuckers (and probably some of [[Ushoran]]'s spies), Xian started a civil war against his father. This angers the Dragon Emperor so much that he ordered them to close their borders with ALL foreigners. The Dragon Emperor apparently died in a freak accident sometime after the civil war according to Ushoran's spies (perhaps has to do with the monkey king? that or is just one of the dragon children since the original dragon daddy is confirmed to be absent during this period) and a new Emperor was enthroned because of this. Under this new Emperor's reign, the trade with the Nekeharan has opened once again because the new Emperor cares little about the [[Nehekhara|Nehekharans]]. Although Prince Xian Ha Feng was never heard of after this, the vampire corruption remains still in Cathay.

Many known vampires had at least travelled to Cathay once. [[Neferata]] had lived there for 7 years in order to infiltrate its bureaucracy and become a ruler of her own once again. However, Cathayan background politics is an "eye-opener" that she was forced to run away again. [[Abhorash]] was noted by Neferata to have probably been to Cathay (probably to study its local martial arts, unsurprisingly). [[Vlad von Carstein|Lord Ankhat]] had assumed the persona of an immortal sorcerer prince there who helped the Dragon Emperor to drive back the [[Norsca|Hungs]] from breaching the great bastion, but was forced to escape after his vampiric nature was found out by a secret society of courtesan (aka mama dragon's spy). [[Genevieve Sandrine du Pointe du Lac Dieudonné|Genevieve]] was said to have become a trader and travelled to Cathay through the Silk Road for a hundred years or so. There she met a '''Master Po''' guy and learned to control her bloodlust as well as martial arts from him. Master Po is said to be important enough that he went to teach Cathayan military officers afterwards.

==[[Total War: WARHAMMER|Total Warhammer 3 AKA: "HOLY SHIT WE'RE ACTUALLY GETTING SOMETHING FOR CATHAY"]]==
[[File:Total-war-cathay trailer map.png|thumb|400 px|A new challenger appear!]]
[[File:Cathay Warhammer 3.png|right|400px|thumb|Cathay finally arrives on the scene]]
During the announcement of Total Warhammer 3, CA confirmed that Cathay will be one of the 6 playable factions. They'd been working with GW in bringing the faction to life and making them one of the core races in the game. This is also great news for anyone hoping for Cathay in [[Warhammer: The Old World]]. More info pending, but this minor faction is finally getting the fleshing out it deserves. Perhaps the most enticing detail to surface is GW confirming they essentially wrote an entire Cathay army book according to 8th Edition rules, complete with characters and background lore. That's where most of the new info on this page comes from, but it has only come out in drips and drabs from interviews. So far GW has announced no plans to actually release the new army book, but one can hope it's coming. Between Cathay and [[Kislev]], this is all a lore [[grognard]]'s wet dream.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=033FWxL22A0 With the Reveal trailer], [https://www.totalwar.com/blog/total-war-warhammer-3-grand-cathay-faq/ the first CA FAQ] [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/09/14/watch-grand-cathay-come-to-life-in-an-epic-collaboration-for-total-war-warhammer-iii/ and GW discussion on Cathay's design + background] we finally get our first proper looks at Cathay.

Front and centre is [[Miao Ying]], daughter of the Celestial Dragon and his wife, and commander of the Northern Bastion (meaning that when Sayl attacked the wall it was her forces that drove him off). She's a dragon that can take a human form like her parents and its been shown that the Celestial Dragon spends his time in the Celestial city and overseeing Cathay while his children take direct control of different provinces (like a certain [[Emperor of Mankind|golden giant]] and his [[Primarch|kids]]) as her brother Zhao Ming commands the western province and will be the other playable lord.

In the trailer we see rocket batteries, war balloons and those suplexing statues from [[Tamurkhan: Throne of Chaos|the Tamurkhan book]], in addition to regular human infantry and some lady earth bending. To help establish Cathay's playstyle GW themselves made rules for each unit and for the army (using 8th edition) to aid CA to understand how Cathay should act in-game. [[Rage|Yes there are currently rules for 8th edition Cathay and GW are just sitting on them and not releasing them.]]

An interesting thing to note is that both [[Miao Ying]] and [[Zhao Ming]] seem to be based on the Four Dragons from Chinese mythology, who are four children born to the "King of the Dragons" each of whom were granted their own land in a cardinal direction and are associated with an element. Zhao is The White Iron Dragon and the ruler of the Western province (because metal is an element according to the ancient Chinese) and Miao is the Black Storm Dragon and ruler of the Northern province, both of these line up with the four dragons mythology.

The three other active Dragon children have since been named, while four others have been confirmed to be AWOL and used as juicy plot hooks for any future expansions. Yuan Bo rules the Central Provinces as the Administrator of the Realm, Yin-Yin rules the Eastern Provinces as the Admiral of the Grand Dragon Fleet, and Li Dao rules the Southern Provinces against the raids of the Monkey King and the Beastmen tribes from Ind.

==New Canon Lore==
===History===
So once upon a time, [[The Dragon Emperor]] and his wife lived on the world before the Old Ones came, where it was mostly a frozen wasteland. Eventually, the space hypnotoads came and did their thing, terraforming the planet and creating all of the little races of the Warhammer World. When humans started to show up, The Dragon Emperor learned to take human shape and gathered a few tribes under his banner. When Chaos eventually came, more tribes flocked to him in order to protect their new empire, eventually creating the Great Bastion himself and instilling a section of his magic in order to prevent the Chaos Hordes from breaking into Cathay. Once Cathay started to take shape, The emperor and his wife decided they were happy with the lands they have and decided to settle down to defend them.

The Dragon pair and their kids would eventually rule over the land and teach them the ways of Harmony, to be one with themselves and the land around them and find their natural place in the world. The Dragons aren't tyrants but act more like teachers and wardens to the humans that are beneath them, as they feel they need the humans on their good side to fight Chaos. They've gotten so used to being with humans that they spend most of their time in human form, only going dragon in an emergency. They don't wish to be worshipped as gods, but it usually happens anyway, and the people of Cathay [[Imperial Creed|treat them with such reverence]] that talking shit about them is a good way to get murdered, especially if you're a foreigner.

===Modern times===
Unfortunately for big D, while he seems to have done a decent job of instilling harmony in the people of Cathay, [[Primarch|he hasn't done a good job of it with his kids because they all fucking hate each other.]] There are a confirmed nine children, but four of them are missing who knows where.

Miao Ying the Storm Dragon is the most favoured and powerful of the Dragon kids, which has given her a massive superiority complex. She's been given the north to rule, which also happens to have Daddies very essence tied to it.

Zhao Ming, the Iron Dragon, is viewed as too experimental with his magic and many fear he is losing his mind due to how much time he spends around the Great Maw, snorting lines of warpstone and actually treating his subjects like human beings. He rules the west, and has the favor of his mother to back him up.

The Dragon of the South is called Li Dao. He is the Fire Dragon and despises Miao Ying as well. He constantly has to deal with invasions from the Southlands from the Monkey King and Naga.

The Dragon of the East is Yin Yin, the Azure Dragon, the only one with an expansionist mindset. She's the one who fought Dark Elves who made their way over the boiling sea. She also tried conquering Araby and once got stranded in Lustria, so Mrs Worldwide.

The Final Dragon we know of is the Jade Dragon, Yuan Bo, who rules the centre of Cathay and spends most of his time hating that he is surrounded by idiots and trying to tell his siblings to listen to Daddy. Evidently, they all spoil for mom and dad's attention and bicker a lot.

There is also the slight problem that Tzeentch cults hold a massive amount of power in the empire and has caused no shortage of problems. It's no help that even humans plot to either gain the favour of the dragons or usurp them.

This all came to a head when the Dragon Emperor and his wife disappeared, leaving the kids alone to watch the place. This resulted in Time of Darkness and Disharmony (Cathay's [[Horus Heresy|version of the Warring States]]), as they fight for the throne while Cathay endures an invasion from the North and South. The Dragon Emperor was also said to be working on his own [[Webway|secret project]], which may or may not help the people of Cathay against Chaos.

Eventually, the Dragon Emperor and his wife came home from their four-century vacation to find their kids fighting, Chaos armies rampaging in their lands and the throne occupied by a god damn monkey.

The Monkey King had used the chaos to take over the country and installed a Clan Eshin Warlord as one of his advisors. Appalled by the idea of Skaven of all things issuing edicts, this finally convinced the other Dragon kids to put aside their differences and fight him, until dad came home and won the war.

===Overview===
So on paper, we have a utopian society of harmony where Dragons and Humans act as one and stand defiant against the forces of Chaos in peace and tranquillity. Once you look closer though, we have a landmass led by spoiled children at each other's throats and only held in line by their parents, along with a fanatical population who are willing to kill any who so much as slightly criticize their rule, and is only held together because of the power and charisma of a single, semi god-like being.

Of other note is the extreme arrogance and pride of Cathay. It is mentioned in new lore and flavor text that the reason why the Ambassador to Altdorf has a crude grasp of Reikspeil is because the Empire is viewed as "barbaric, uncivilized and savage", and therefore it is likely that she never bothered to learn much Reikspeil at all. Cathay continues to be arrogant in it's lore, mentioning that the tiny cogs used in the clockwork crossbows of Cathay are "The envy of the world" according to the Cathayans themselves, and that "none other can match"; The Dwarfs would likely disagree.

Basically, Cathay is outmatched in a wide variety of technologies, but none can do it all like cathay does.

In other words, pretty much what the [[Imperium]] would have become if Big E wasn't put on the golden toilet seat, was smart enough to not just ban religion and redirect faith towards something else (ancestor worship), and was a slightly better dad/the primarchs hadn't been scattered.

==Geography==
[[File:Cathay Map-TOW.jpg|thumb|right|450px|The most accurate map on Cathay since 1990.]]
The country is huge (as in the case with a certain real-world country), much bigger than the Empire and the other western lands. To the north is the <s>Mongolian steppes</s> [[Eastern Steppes]] and regions of chaos, which are held at bay by the huge-ass Great <s>Wall</s> Bastion of <s>China</s> Cathay which prevents the hordes from pillaging. Why the Empire never took this up themselves isn't explained. Probably it's because the Elector Counts could not work together for long enough to get it built.

(IRL China's Great Wall isnt a single, continuous fortifaction, but a massive series of fortresses and successive (it's defence in depth, with fall back positions) walls; whenever possible, they built along and in addition to the highlands of Northern China, so you have mountains and impassable terrain, with fortresses dotted all over, and walls maybe connecting them if there's flat enough land for it. In contrast, Eastern Europe is very flat, with Poland the Ukraine being so relatively flat that the German and Russian Empires realized that in times of war, they needed Poland/Ukraine as a buffer, because anyone could roll straight through them if they tried hard enough. Fantasy Empire is the same, with Kiev being based on Russia, but is used as the Poland/Ukrainian buffer by the Empire)

To the west is the Mountains of Mourn, the [[warpstone]] deserts and the Great Maw. Incidentally, you can blame the Cathayans for the Great Maw’s existence as the Dragon Emperor had his celestial wizards summon the thing to punish the Ogres for eating some of his citizens. Although recently there has been some evidence Tzeentch had a hand in how tits up it went. To the south is a mysterious jungle where the lost city of the old ones is. Eastwards is the sea, with [[Nippon]] and the [[Lost Isles of Elithis]].

===Cities and Provinces===
* '''Northern Provinces''' - Consisting mainly of the Great Bastion and its supplying towns, its other notable aspect is being home to the river that in Cathayan mythos leads to the underworld. Rumoured to be trapped under this river is the lost Spirit Dragon, a child of the Dragon Emperor and the Moon Empress. Ruled by the Storm Dragon, Miao Ying.
**'''Nan-Gau''' – The major city of the north, known as the city of smoke. A 9 walled fortress city linked to the Great Bastion, it has never fallen to any invader. The Lords of Nan-Gau are not as deferent to the Dragons as the ruling classes in other cities. This is because the city is home to countless forges and workshops that furnish the armies of the empire with weapons and provide countless war machines for the defence of the Great Bastion. So, the Lords are powerful, granted more independence than most and have occasionally even dared to challenge Miao Ying, the Dragon nominally in charge. She does quickly exert her power to make them fall in line when needed.
**'''Po-Mei''' - Another manufacturing city in the north and Nan-Gau's main rival. While their rivalry used to be mostly friendly, things flared up when it came down to who would get the credit for inventing Cathay's flying warships. This lead to a political feud that lead to people being maimed, killed and airship prototypes "mysteriously" falling out of the sky. Miao Ying caught wind of this when the supplies for the Bastion started dropping and was NOT happy. So in the middle of an altitude race between the two cities, she caused a massive storm, slapped the two balloons out of the sky and told the cities to play nice or she'll get really angry next time. There seems to have been no blood between the cities since.

* '''The Great Bastion''' - The Great Wall of <s>China</s> Cathay. In history there is a mythic telling of how it was built by the dragons: Every brick fashioned by the Iron Dragon, breathed upon by the Fire Dragon, Blessed by the Emperor. In reality, thousands of people were used to build the wall. It has 10 small fortresses built into it, each a miniature city in scale and population. The Dragon Emperor has tied his very essence to the wall, so if it ever fell he would die too. He almost died when [[Lord_Mazdamundi|a certain hypnotoad]] slapped the plates of the planet around, causing the walls to be royally messed up for a while. Ruled by Miao Ying, showing the level of trust and/or favouritism the Dragon Emperor has for his number one daughter. has the claim of having never failed, but still got ''breached'' a few times by chaos forces.
**'''Dragon Gate ''' – The Centermost gate and the one closest to Po-Mei
**'''Snake Gate ''' – The Westernmost gate and the one closest to Nan-Gau. Due to its proximity to the city it gets constant restocks of weapons and supplies, making it extremely hardy. The part of the Bastion Miao Ying defends the most.
**'''Turtle Gate''' – The Easternmost gate and the one closest to Wei-Jin and the Celestial City.

* '''Imperial Provinces''' - Located just southeast of Northern Provinces. It is a region ruled by Emperor and Empress directly.
** '''Wei-Jin''' - The Capital of Cathay that normal mortals can enter. Oddly despite being the capital, it's the city we know the least about.
*** '''The Celestial City''' - in the clouds above Wei-Jin; Home of the Jade Court. Location of the Wu Zing Compass, through which the Emperor directs the winds of magic to strengthen different areas of the empire in need.

* '''Western Provinces''' – Other than the city of Shang-Yang and the Iron Dragon, there is a place called the Tower of Ashshair, which was featured all the way back in [[Tamurkhan: Throne of Chaos]], as well as the warpstone desert. In this desert, caravans have to use [[Sigvald|mirrored shields]] to protect from chaos radiation. Also home of the Great Maw.
** '''Shang-Yang''' - It is the largest city in the west, a bustling metropolis full of foreign traders despite its location in the middle of the Warpstone Desert. Sometimes invaded by Ogres, Hobgoblins and Skaven. The door between the Old World and Cathay; Estalians, Tileans and Empire travellers and ambassadors all have permanent quarters within the city. It also draws in cabals of alchemists and hedge wizards, who use the city as a base for their expeditions into the desert. Since it's all unofficial and unsanctioned, a lot of warpstone and other elements get used in ways that aren't exactly the safest. Home of the Iron Dragon.

* '''Central Provinces''' – Breadbasket of empire. Ruled by Yuan Bo. It is reasonably safe. If you want to live in the Warhammer world, this is a pretty good choice. [[Beastmen|Even here though, forests are risky]].
** '''Shang Wu''' - The most important city in Central Cathay. It is the seat of the Jade Dragon, Yuan Bo, who rules Central Cathay. Shang Wu lies where the Great River and other rivers meet and is also where the Broken Road and the Great Road meet, making it an incredibly important trade hub. The city is located near rich farmland.
** '''the Grand Observatory of Xing Po''' - A massive observatory where the kings astromancers are trained, study the heavens and divine the future.

* '''Eastern Provinces''' - The wealthiest region, with numerous major cities and lots of trade. It even has a large high elf population, as well as other races from across the world. Home of Dragon Fleets which guard against [[Dark_Elves_(Warhammer_Fantasy)|those pesky emos]] and Nippon. Ruled and protected by Yin-Yin the Sea Dragon.
** '''Fu-Chow''' - A cosmopolitan sea trade city located in the east. The palace of the Sea Dragon is there. This city is full of ghettos for different races. It's possibly the most metropolitan place in the world, eclipsing even Marienburg and Lothern.
** '''Bei Chai''' – Another eastern city, having a dark reputation for harbouring the cults of Tzeentch. Mention of a Cult of the Painted Skin growing here. Other chaos gods struggle to get a foothold in Cathay mainly due to this lot. Despite several attempts by Yin-Yin to purge the city, Tzeentch Cults somehow keep finding their way back. Why they don't just burn the whole place to ashes at this point is a mystery.

* '''Southern Provinces''' – lots of foothills rolling into the Mountains of Heaven. It contains lots of tribes and is an unruly region due to the Monkey Kings presence. Also, there is the "[[Furry|occasional tiger man village]]”. Home of the Fire Dragon, Li Dao.
**'''Fu-Hung''' - Known as the chanting city. It is the home of the Phoenix Temple, a great structure shaped like a giant vermilion warbird, close to the Mountains of Heaven. Whilst religion dedicated to deities and the Dragons isn't allowed, ancestor worship and veneration of local items of interest are tolerated. Vermillion warbirds are smaller phoenixes native to Cathay and very important in Cathayan culture.

*'''The Mountains of Heaven''' - Whilst technically in Cathay, it is functionally an autonomous region ruled by the Monkey King. The only reason for this is due to the constant threat from the [[Kingdoms_of_Ind|Kingdoms of Ind]] and the Naga from [[Khuresh|the Hinterlands of Khuresh]] which mean any invasion to deal with the Monkey King would result in the weakened army being taken out by Cathay's enemies. So he lives [[Farsight#Farsight_Enclaves|as an autonomous zone where the ruling class wish to destroy him. However, they cannot commit to destroying them without foreign invaders capitalising on the new war]].

==Who Rules Cathay?==

{{Topquote|Oh child, I watched your Emperor and Empress mate, I was there...drinking it in|N'kari, in Total War, reminding the rulers of Cathay they were there during their conception in the grossest way possible}}

The dragon emperor and his wife the moon empress (both of which were around when the Old Ones were alive) are the official rulers of Cathay, and both have equal say in how to run the nation. The Emperor is pretty hands-off, [[The_God-Emperor_of_Mankind|spending his time on some unknowable plan which he hasn't told his children about, because that has never bitten any other Warhammer character directly on the ass cheek]]. His wife likes to go around pretending to be a regular human to check on things, and also root out cults of Tzeentch (other chaos gods don't seem to have gained much sway in Cathay). The emperor has nine children and four are missing. One is strongly hinted to be trapped under a river in the north of Cathay, and another one is hinted to be the one [[Archaon]] ripped apart in older lore. '''Shen-Zoo''', the daughter that was responsible for maintaining the balance of Harmony, had disappeared somewhere in the [[Chaos Wastes]] ([[Sigmar|haven't]] [[Miska the Slaughterer|seen that]] [[Grimnir|before, huh]]), is the focus of Cathayan storyline in TWW3. One is still completely unaccounted for. The five remaining each rule a piece of Cathay.

===[[Miao Ying]]===
The Storm Dragon. She rules the north and [[Rogal Dorn|has the duty of protecting the Great Bastion]]. She's the oldest and is also daddy's favourite. This makes all her siblings jealous of her. She's known for being [[Lion El'Jonson|cold and aloof]], beyond the normal Dragon Children level, which might be from having to watch thousands of her subjects constantly die due to chaos attacking the Great Bastion every other Tuesday.

===[[Zhao Ming]]===
The Iron Dragon. [[Vulkan|The nice one who likes who smithing and might be going crazy.]] This guy rules the west which borders the warpstone desert. He has a green rock in his hat, right over his forehead. During an interview Andy Hall, lead writer of the [[Total War: WARHAMMER]] series, was asked if this rock was jade or [[warpstone]]. Andy refused to say which one it was. While his siblings are quite aloof towards their human subjects, Zhao is far more friendly and sociable to them and most of the Dragon-blooded trace their ancestry to him, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIMwLxglN3E as well as all of the Longma]. Whether he legitimately cares for his subjects or just does it to piss off his siblings is unclear. Zhao also has an interest in alchemy. Fun fact: Real Life Daoist alchemists were interested in cinnabar (which was a frequent ingredient in their attempts to make an elixir of immortality), so Chinese alchemists messing around with poison stuff in ways they shouldn't do has real-life precedent. Also, Zhao's siblings think his mental health has declined, with his friendliness towards humans being considered some of the evidence of this. He's protected by his mother though, being her favourite. So you end up with a guy snorting lines of warpstone, partying with his subjects and getting it on with cute alchemist girls. A true hero of the Cathayan people. Has a friendship with [[Greasus Goldtooth]] on the basis of both of them having gigantic daddy issues.

===[[Li Dao]]===
The Fire Dragon (master of the burning winds and lord of the phoenix) - Male Ruler of the South, described as [[Perturabo|bitter that Miao Ying gets all the attention for defending the north when he has the challenging and thankless task of protecting the empire from Ind and Kuresh]]. Also has to deal with the Monkey King the most out of all the Dragon Siblings, who basically constantly trolls him from Warhammer Nepal. Being stuck as the second best and second favourite behind Miao Ying whilst constantly getting dunked on by some overgrown furry has left him with some [[Rage|unresolved issues]]. How original to make the fire-themed character a hothead (Even though that is literally the canon effect the Wind of Fire tends to channel in its users). According to an Andy Hall interview, he and the Jade Dragon teamed up to stop [[Ku'Gath]] from paying Cathay a little visit.

===[[Yin-Yin]]===
The Sea Dragon, Female Ruler of the East, admiral of the Grand Dragon Fleet. Apparently, she’s more impulsive than the others and has an oddly expansionist outlook (uh... I guess that makes her [[Jaghatai Khan]]? None of the primarchs were really known for having really impeccable naval skills). In the past, she led a failed naval invasion of the Southlands and Lustria, so she was in charge during the old lore where Cathay got absolutely destroyed by Lizardmen. She also got wrecked by Araby when she tried invading them. [[Perturabo|As a result of wasting so many Cathayan lives, she is the least popular of her siblings with both the parents and her brothers and sister]]. When not being defeated by every other faction, she spends most of her time dealing with the Dark Elves raiding her coasts and Nippon looking angrily at Cathay. [[Fulgrim|A quote in Warhammer 3 states that she wonders if the High Elf Dragonships are named after her, meaning she is either extremely arrogant, really dumb, or deliberately snubbing Ulthuan]].

In older lore, it was a different Dragon Emperor who supposedly led the fleet to the Southlands, but in the CA-written lore, it was retconned to her, while the older name of the Dragon Emperor ended up as one of Xen Huong's titles being misinterpreted in Imperial records.

===[[Yuan Bo]]===
The Jade Dragon. [[Roboute Guilliman|The boring middle child. He rules over central Cathay and is in charge of the main bureaucracy]]. He spends most of his time telling the rest of his siblings to shut up and listen to Daddy, whereupon the rest of his siblings tell him to shut his nerd ass up. He then cries to his parents who pretend to listen, and then send him back down because he's the only one who can be bothered to figure out all this 'administration' business that's needed to run a nation. Despite this, he is still the most 'liked' among the siblings, if only because no one truly hates him in comparison to some of the other sibling relationships. Considering that he prefers paperwork to fighting and rules over the part of Cathay with the least conflict he is likely the least powerful of his siblings, though he's still a dragon and can still whoop the ass of most mortal warriors. He's is quoted on the loading screens of TWW3, and they imply he is some sort of head propagandist in Cathay. Some other quotes attributed to him in WH3 paint him as one of the dragons most ambivalent towards humans, viewing them as expendable resources who yearn to be controlled.

==Missing Dragons==
===Shen-Zoo===
Known as the 'Bringer of Light and Hope' she ventured into the mountains of Norsca and disappeared. She is younger than Miao Ying, but where this places her in the age range isn't narrowed down as Miao Ying is the oldest child. Cathay in Warhammer 3 gets involved in trying to save Ursun to interrogate the god to find this Dragon.

===The Spirit Dragon===
Currently unnamed, this dragon is rumoured to be trapped under the Dragon River. (Very creative names here). This river leads to the underworld according to Cathayan mythos. She was presumably involved with death rituals even before, considering her name and possible fate. The Warhammer Fantasy RPG mentions in the Doom of Kavzar that tells the Skaven were vomited out from the gigantic maw of the Great Black Dragon that lives coiled inside the earth, which could also possibly be her.

===First Unknown Child===
Possibly the Flamefang, Yien-Ya-Long, a massive serpentine Chaos dragon sworn to Tzeentch. Archaon spent many years hunting and being hunted by this dragon, eventually slaying it and claiming the eye of Sheerian from its body.

===Second Unknown Child===
The only dragon left with no lore hints. Possibly a chance for [[Your_Dudes|your own custom dragon sibling]].

Potentially could be Prince Xian Ha Feng, a supposed son of the Dragon Emperor who was sent to Lamia as an emissary and who Neferata wanted to use to get a foothold in Cathay, but ended up accidentally causing a civil war. Might explain why no one mentions him if he's dead and/or a vampire.

==Other Notable Characters==
These are characters who don't actually rule over any official part of Cathay, but still play an important role in their history and lore.

===Monkey King===
While not one of the official rulers of Cathay, the (currently unnamed) Monkey King rules over the Mountains of Heaven and the Monkey Warriors, the second largest population in Cathay. During the Time of Darkness and Disharmony, he took over the country while the Dragon Emperor was away and his kids were fighting, installing a Clan Eshin Warlord as an advisor. This pissed off the Dragon Kids for obvious reasons, and they unified against him and knocked him back to the Mountains when dad came home. Understandably, the Dragons all hate his guts and the only reason they haven't exterminated him and the rest of his furries is because it would weaken their forces against other, bigger threats to the south.

The Monkey King does help defend Southern Cathay alongside Li Dao, and by that I mean he annoys the fuck out of him, though it is implied his warriors also serve as mercenaries for others willing to pay for them. It is also unknown if he and his monkey warrior count as servants of chaos like all beastman, that or the fact it has four arms just like that monkey statue from [[Gotrek & Felix|Vampire Slayer]].

According to an in-game lore quote in Total War: Warhammer 3, the Monkey King is known for 4 depictions in different parts of Cathay that all sound Chaosy. [[Khorne|A Bloodthirsty Gorilla in the north]], [[Slaanesh|A beautiful Baboon with flowing blond hair whose always in heat in the west]], [[Nurgle| a fat Orangutan with boils on his stomach in the east]], and a [[Tzeentch| deceptive Spider Monkey in the south]]. According to Andy Hall, this is propaganda spread by Tzeentch to stop Cathay and the Monkey King from fully uniting. Fun fact, none of these animals live in real-life China.

===Shi-Hong===
Once a peasant living in the shittier parts of Nan-Gau, Shi-Hong had of hobby of making complicated mechanical toys to amuse his friends and family. The Artificer Guild in Nan-Gau thought he showed promise and took him in, where he quite rapidly rose through the ranks to become one of the Masters of the guild. He came up with an idea to ease the amount of strain the Bastion was facing against Chaos, mainly boiling down to "What if we just killed them before they actually got to the walls in sufficient numbers?" He installed mechanical platforms to allow Crane Gunners to snipe more accurately from further away and was credited for the creation of the weaponized airships. He is referred to as "The Blind Master", though whether he was born blind or was blinded in an accident or as an act of sabotage from a rival group is unknown.

== Relations ==
Cathay has always been a very insular and isolationist nation, as such they never really interact too heavily with foreign powers aside from trade unless they feel like they need to. That said caravans and ambassadors have been sent out to other nations of the world, and they have plenty of enemies at their borders, which gives us some clues as to how they view the rest of the world.

*'''Western Human Nations''': According to older lore (which may or may not be decanonised now), Cathay was first discovered by Tilean adventurer Marco Polare (sounds familiar, right?), who managed to establish trade between Cathay and [[Tilea]]. Like pretty much everyone else in the world, they trade with [[Marienburg]]... and that's pretty much it. The Nagash novel dispute the above statement by making [[Nehekhara#Devil.27s_Backbone|Lahmia]], a port city in the Nehekhara east to be their first trade partner in the ancient past.
**'''Empire''': Western Empire is easily the country with which Cathay interacts most, up to the point of having an official ambassador. Still, the distance between two countries essentially means that they are pretty much on their own most of the time.
**'''Bretonnia''': Not counting old Leofric Carrard novels (in which Bretonnian knight simply roamed the world searching for adventures), there is nothing to say about their relations.
**'''Kislev''': Same as Bretonnia, if you don't count [[Total War: WARHAMMER|Total War: WARHAMMER III]].
**'''Ancient Nehekharan''': According to Nagash novel, the Lahmians were the only Nehekharan Cathay has been interacted for the most part. From their trades, the Lahmian gained a lot of goodies from them like silks, spices, candles, incense, tea and firearms (that last one requires the entire city of Lahmia as payment if there were no gold left). Because of this, Lahmian were the foremost [[weeaboo]] nation ever existed in warhammer at that times. Although both gained a lot from the trade, it does not prevent them from scheming against each other, which results in Neferata having enough of their shit, convinced one of their officer into a vampirism, resulting the spread of vampirism in great Cathay. The Dragon Emperor (or whoever was in charged at the time) was pissed off of course, and cancelled the trade with Lahmian, only to re-sign the agreement after the said Emperor (once again, might not be the real one if the newest lore were to believe) was killed and replaced by his inheritor. However, we all knew how Lahmia got it ass handed to Alcadizzar and his armies, so no contacts were made after that. Though it was not mentioned if Alcadizzar ever tried to rebuilt Lahmia in order to trade with Cathay, but it doesn't matter since the entirely of Nehekhara were later nuked and its inhabitant replaced with [[Tomb Kings|ancient walking corpses]] by [[Nagash|that shitty manchild lich]]. Those with living fresh of course are smart to leave the walking dead alone, and Cathayans were no exception. Although it would be hilarious if they at least tried to trade something with them for a joke, and [[Khalida]] would be their most likely just because her city Lybaras positioned near the same east coast as Lahmia.
**'''[[Araby]]''': [[Araby]] was one of the targets for [[Yin-Yin|Yin-Yin's]] plan of Cathayan expansion, and, as you know, it ended badly.
**'''[[Kingdoms of Ind]]''': Ind are seen as some sort of threat for Cathay (probably because of the tiger beastmen living there), alongside [[Khuresh]].
*'''Eastern Human Nations''': [[Nippon]] is described as a rival naval nation, which isn't elaborated for now.
*'''Chaos''': Like any other Ordered civilization, Cathay hates [[Chaos]], to the point of building Great Bastion to protect their lands from Daemons and marauders (mostly Hungs and Kurgans). However, unlike most of the world, [[Tzeentch|Blue Weeaboo Bird]] is strongest here, corrupting aristocracy of some cities and creating weird cults. Oh, and also you can find [[Beastmen]] there.
*'''Dwarfs''': Both Cathay and Karaz Ankor are too remote and too isolated to have any meaningful collaboration between each other.
**'''Chaos Dwarfs''': Same as their non-Chaotic kin up to the [[End Times]], when they assisted Chaos in invading Cathay.
*'''Elves''':
**'''High Elves''': Cathay and Asur established trade with each other early, about 1700 years before End Times, but since then not much has changed in relations between these nations. High Elves are also the main minority living in the Eastern ports of the empire.
**'''Dark Elves''': Druchii (especially Fellheart family) are know to raid the shit out of everything, and Cathay is not an exception, with several cities being destroyed by Black Arcs. They are also easily the main naval danger for Cathayan fleet.
**'''Wood Elves''': It is unknown if any Wood Elf community lives outside of [[Athel Loren]] and [[Nordland]] forests, but there is some baseless speculation that "Forest of Hungry Ghosts" mentioned on the brand new Cathayan map may be related to them.
*'''Vampires''': Cathay has its own version of Vampires which were long a subject of canonicity debates - [[Jade-Blooded]]. And while they were confirmed to exist recently, their lore is so outdated that we can't say for sure how Dragon family feels about them.
*'''Skaven''': Aside from Ogres, this is the race that interacts (or interacted) with Cathay the most. [[Clan Eshin]] learned ninja technics here (or in Nippon), and Under-Empire has a major presence in Cathay, up to being co-rulers of it alongside Monkey King when Big D disappeared.
*'''Lizardmen''': Yin-Yin tried to invade [[Southlands]] during her expansion attempts, but failed. While they aren't outright hostile to each other, they aren't fond of one another either. The Dragons largely blame the Old Ones for why the world went to shit, and the Lizards don't considered the Dragon Emperor's shenanigans as part of the Great Plan.
*'''Ogre Kingdoms''': Ogres are very linked to Cathay - most of their backstory relies on Big D pulling a comet out of space to prevent them from eating his subjects. Ogres work as mercenaries there (especially in [[Zhao Ming|Zhao Ming's]] army), but generally they aren't interested in Celestial Empire due to their westward migration.
*'''Greenskins''': They mostly don't live in [[Eastern Lands]], ans the only time they interacted is when [[Grimgor Ironhide|Grimgor's]] horde destroyed Cathay in the End Times.

== Cathay's Army ==
[[File:Cathay-Warhammer-Fantasy-David-Gallagher.jpg|thumb|right|400px|thumb|Until 2021, this was literally the only image we had, except some White Dwarf conversions.]]
All that we know about Cathay's army comes from their [[Total War Warhammer/Tactics/Grand Cathay|army roster]] in Total War Warhammer 3 pre any DLC, so this probably isn't even their entire list. Given that they are coming to [[Warhammer: The Old World]] we'll split them up into Cores, Special and Rare units once we know who goes where.

===Generic Characters===
*'''Dragon-Blooded Shugengan Lord''': These guys are what happens when a member of the Dragon family gets really bored, spots one of their human subjects and decides "Meh, I'd fuck that." They're the highest ranking officials in Cathay aside from the Dragons themselves, being incredible spellcasters and warriors in their own right. They also tend to be arrogant twats and their lesser human nobles hate them out of envy. Sadly since they aren't full blooded Dragons they can't transform but they can use the Lores of Yin and Yang, which are exclusive to Dragons.

*'''Lord Magistrate''': The normal human nobles in Cathay, they are the high ranking generals or lords that run Cathay's cities. They aren't nearly as strong as the Shugengan but they are more numerous. They mainly specialize in commanding armies and directing their troops to perfection after years of practice. Important ones come into battle aboard a Sky Lantern in order to get a view of the battle from the air and to direct troops with flags and to bring out the best in their soldiers.

*'''Alchemists''': The secretive sorcerer cabal in Cathay, they flock to Shang Yang as Zhao Ming is the only dragon who wants to have them around. Guy pretty much runs his own cult of metal benders and only gets away with it because he's mama's favorite. They have grown into a surprisingly powerful cabal that while technically not allowed, still gets hired by generals due to their skill in the Lore of Metal and their potion making in order to assist troops in battle.

*'''Astromancer''': This is the actually accepted group of sorcerers in Cathay who specialize in Lore of Heavens, as it is the Dragon Emperor's favorite. The highest ranking officials spend much of their time assisting Big D with his secret project as often serve as his messengers and advisors. [[Fail|This is also the group who accidentally nuked the Ogres]] but when they aren't doing that they are assisting Cathay's armies with magic and the Wu-Xing War Compass.

==="Core"===
(Or at least our best guess given what we know)
[[File:Jade Warrior.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Your basic Cathayan Grunt, the Jade Warrior]]

*'''Peasant Long Spearman''': Also known as the "Warriors of Wind and Field", the Dragons realized that they have a crap load of people living in Cathay and said "Hey, we can use these guys!" They're only really used for numbers and are not only expected to run, but are often encouraged to so that the better warriors can deal with stuff they can't handle. Small towns who can't afford to have standing regiments of Jade Warriors mostly have these guys as defense.

*'''Peasant Archer''': Evidently the Moon Empress loves ranged weapons and young girls are taught how to use a bow at an early age to honor her. Again, pretty much only used to fill out numbers.

*'''Peasant Horsemen''': Due to the massive size of the country, Peasants often learn how to ride in order to carry information or commercial goods across massive territories. As such, they often fill the role of scouts or flanking harass in Cathayan armies.

*'''Jade Warriors''': These guys are the actual trained soldiers of Cathay. Their main job is to hold the front line so that the guns and ranged units have a chance to shoot. Can be equipped with Swords, Halberds and Crossbows. They mostly serve as the military and police in larger cities who can afford to house large numbers of them

*'''Jade Lancers''': The most common heavy cav in Cathay, they are slower but much tankier than most other knights.

===Others===
*'''Celestial Dragon Guard''': The Elites of the Cathayan Army, raised to a higher standard to the standard rank and file with better weapons and armor. Can be armed with swords, halberds or crossbows.

*'''Monkey Warriors''': The soldiers of the Monkey King. We don't know what they do or how they fight, but we know they exist.

*'''Iron Hail Gunners ''': Ladies with Chinese themed blunderbusses. Don't quite have the range of Empire guns but since they wield old timey shotguns they can rip apart enemy formations at a very close range.

*'''Crane Gunners''': Sniper teams with a long ass gun where one person mans the gun and the other mans a shield and reloads. Whether these guys ripped off the Skaven or vice versa isn't explained. However, considering the Skaven's habit of <strike> stealing </strike> appropriating stuff from other cultures, like Clan Eshin learning how to be ninjas from Nippon, there can be a case for the latter.

*'''Great Longma Riders''': Minor nobles who became nobles by their great-grandpa shtupping a dragon, who ride Dragon Horses. They're the elite cavalry force of Cathay and are usually used to give them aerial dominance and to cover for the war balloons.

*'''Terracotta Sentinels''': The Celestial Dragon Emperor's action figures that come to life to defend Cathay much like the Tomb Kings constructs. Said to [[Wraithguard|contain the souls of ancient warriors]] who fought for the Dragon during the first Chaos Incursion. Stand sentinel around Cathay until invaders comes.

===War Machines/Artillery===
*'''Sky Lantern''': A flying balloon piloted by sniper ladies, it acts as a forward scout for Cathay's armies. Also used by Magistrates to find enemy positions, discover ambushes and to provide motivation to the troops below.

*'''Sky-Junk''': A heavier flying balloon powered by a smaller phoenix, this acts as a mobile flying artillery piece. Armed with a Fire Rain Rocket and multiple bombs they can tear entire battle formations apart.

*'''Grand Cannon''': A cannon that is pulled by oxen making it surprisingly fast, that fires firey globes into the enemy.

*'''Wu-Xing War Compass''': A miniature version of the Celestial Compass which the Dragon Emperor uses to slap magic into various places of Cathay, it greatly boosts the magical capacity of mages riding one or simply its presence on the field.

*'''Fire Rain Rocket''': What inspired the Helstorm rocket battery in lore, it acts functionally the same. Fires multiple rockets at once that, while inaccurate, can cause devastation on the battlefield.

==Gallery==
Originally the only images we've had of Cathay and its people were a single picture in the Warhammer rule books and from a White Dwarf article where they showed off somebody's converted army. Suffice to say the converter did a great job, and the pictures are included below. Later on [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]] and [[Total War: Warhammer]] had their own stabs at what Cathay should look like.
<gallery>
Cathay-Page-1.jpg
Cathay-Page-2.jpg
Cathay-Page-3.jpg
Cathay-Page-4.jpg
Cathay-Page-5.jpg
Cathay-Page-6.jpg
File:WFRP 4th-Yabo Chao.png|Yabo Chao, an ambassador from Cathay in [[Altdorf]].
</gallery>

==Links==
*[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_Redi9cZJ5iLVNoQWR2MVBQWms/view Cathay fandex]
*[[Warhammer Army Project/Cathay/8th|Tactica of the above fandex]]

{{Regions and areas of the Old World}}
[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category:Cathay]]

Warriors of Chaos

2022-07-20T12:45:15Z

2001:8003:1C20:8C00:D5C9:8659:B360:48D6: /* The Hung */

[[File:All_Fear_the_Wrath_of_the_Norscans.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Vikings FTW!]]
{{topquote|To the ordinary, we are unknowable. Fallen. Corrupted. Rightly feared. You cannot understand our orgins, our motives... the dawning realisation that we are ''not'' fallen. We. Are. '''Ascended.'''|[[Archaon|Archaon the Everchosen]]}}

{{topquote|Moving up and fighting the best keeps me hungry.|Nonito Donaire}}

{{topquote|Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, 'Come.' I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.|Revelation 6:1-2}}

[[Old School Roleplaying|Remember when the followers of the Dark Gods were badass Viking warriors in awesome looking plate armour]] and weren't [[Chaos Space Marines|emo Space Marines]] under the thrall of [[Abaddon|an armless failure]]? Remember when they were led by completely fucking crazy motherfuckers who wrestled fucking Bloodthirsters to the ground as a bloody initiation ritual and rode around on chariots pulled by skinless bears and rode horses fed on human flesh and watered down with blood and had awesome beards rivalled only by Dwarfs? Pepperidge Farm remembers. These are the '''Warriors of Chaos''' (formerly '''Hordes'''), the granddaddies of all that is [[Awesome]] in the Chaos Space Marines, the original Champions of Chaos.

Additionally, every time the words "devout", "cruel", "savage", and synonyms of those show up in the following article, take a swig. I can guarantee that you will at least be drunk (unless you are, in fact, a chaos warrior yourself, in which case you would need to drink a gallon for every derp on the [[Derp]] page (enough to get 6 fully packed Yankee stadiums completely hammered, in case you're wondering)). As you should be, considering you're reading about Vikings.

==Brief Foreword==
Nostalgia aside, you can't truly call yourself a fan of Chaos or Warhammer in general without having at least a cursory knowledge of these guys. These guys are the very essence of Warhammer: baroque plate armour, skulls, Vikings, mutations, Michael Moorcock, J.R.R Tolkien, Hieronymus Bosch, H.P Lovecraft and Heavy Metal; everything that was put in together and left to boil to produce the two most grimdark settings in the history of mankind is encapsulated in these guys. The first edition of Warhammer Fantasy had one of them displayed proudly on it, for Odin's sake (the now legendary [[Harry the Hammer]], the TRUE reason why Warhammer is called Warhammer, check out Harry's new model, it kicks ass). Like it or not, these guys were what forged Warhammer for a lot of people. To this day, no game based on it feels complete without dark armoured marauding warriors of the Nordic or [[Chaos Space Marine|sci-fi]] persuasion. So read on, and see their glory in full.

'''tl;dr''': '''MOTHERFUCKING CHAOS [[Viking|VIKINGS]], MAN!!!'''

If you watch some of the Viking shit that is part of the current minor renaissance in sword-and-longboat fantasy that's been going on in television lately, like ''The Last Kingdom'', you might think that the portrayal of Vikings is not that far off. And arguably, it isn't; they got up to some pretty [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_eagle deranged Khornate shit]. But of course, history was written by the people who they were murder-raping in the name of <s>Khorne</s>Odin. It's pretty much beyond dispute, though, that theirs was a culture very much centered upon raiding (literally what ''viking'' means, more or less) and being a badass warrior; you couldn't get to Valhalla unless you died with a weapon in hand. (Drunken accident? Old age? Getting poisoned or stabbed in the back? Too bad, it's off to Niflheim, the domain of Hel--one 'l', that's after the goddess who reigned there, and no, it wasn't hot, it was motherfucking cold.) Pretty fucking Khornate if you ask me.

They are also the only non-Imperial Guard army to have not been fucked over completely beyond all redemption by the foul [[Cruddace]].

==Fantasy Overview==
In the beginning, the Old Ones came to the Warhammer World and set about doing their crazy magical genetic engineering bullshit. Then, for whatever non-reason the Polar Gates at the top and bottom of the world that they had constructed to ward off Chaos gave out and the world was corrupted and consumed by it. Depending on who you ask, either this event is what birthed Chaos and the Chaos Gods, or they came first and helped cause it. Who knows? The Old Ones fucked off, and left races of Dwarfs and Elves and Slaan. But a fourth creation also that was not fully equipped to resist the influence of Chaos, and of course, this was Man. Mankind was unfinished, and the warpstones that flew from the Northern polar wastes caused the acceleration of physical and cultural progress and, most importantly, of the human mind. The races of men gained a vigor and fire from the power of Chaos that drove them to great heights of glory and caused them to surpass the manufactured races of the Old Ones. In many ways, the history of Chaos ''is'' the history of mankind in the Warhammer world, serving as a dark reflection of what corrupted humanity can look like, the civilized soldiers and benevolent Order Gods of the South mirrored by the barbaric warriors and the cruel, fickle Chaos Gods of the North. It was only fitting that some tribes amongst Humanity would come to worship the various Gods of Chaos, namely the best-known four of them (and a long time ago [[Chaos Gods of Law|some others that GW sadly forgot about]] and [[Malal|another they were contractually forced to forget about.]])

The most notable of these was the Norsii. who would later be feared by all of the Old World as the fierce '''Norse''', the most brutal and devout worshipers of Chaos. They were joined by their cousins as well, the brutal '''Kurgan''' of the Eastern Steppes and the squat and ferocious (yet anatomically gifted in certain areas) '''Hung'''. These are the three Great Races of Men, for it is they alone who are favored by the mighty Gods. Together, they are the Northmen, and they shall make the World tremble.

On the tabletop, the Warriors of Chaos tend to be unstoppable close combat powerhouses (as they should be, they're Vikings), with little in the way of ranged fire support. Very melee oriented, even their sorcerers can be thrown into melee and be expected to hold their own. They have very powerful magic that can be used to supplement their incredible power. They have extremely powerful Lord choices who might very well be the most powerful generic lords in the game. They have a pretty high points cost, though, so you're going to be outnumbered. On the other hand, that shouldn't bother you too much because they're badasses. The problem is that you have a predictable play style and are more or less ineffective if you can't get into melee. Movement phases are important, especially in fantasy, so think about how you move your forces. Despite it being a predictable play style, it's still easy to grasp and simple to use, which also makes the Warriors a good starting army. Also, because of the low model count since these guys have a large point cost, it doesn't cost that much by GW standards to put a good army together. So, if you like Vikings in spiky armor, get the Warriors.

==The Men of the North==
The twisted northlands of [[Norsca]] and the [[Eastern Steppes]] straddle the line between mere mortality and the realm of the immortal, for they the closest of the realms to the foul Chaos Wastes and the portal that leads to the realm of the Chaos Gods. Known as Rainsheim amongst the Norse, and a dozen other names amongst those others who dare to treat with Chaos; Northman or Southman. The power of Chaos has corrupted all the lands of the world, but as the distance from the pole decreases, the influence of Chaos increases. And so, the men of Norsca and the Kurgan realms are saturated with the power of the gods.

The men who dwell in the Northlands are, for the most part, barbarous and savage compared to those who live in the settled lands to the south. They are not physically unlike other men and, in times of peace, merchants from the Norse and Kurgan can be found trading their wares in the markets of cosmopolitan cities such as Marienburg in the west and the Hung can be found doing the same in Weijin in the east. Yet, in some other forms, they are unlike their fellows to the South. For they worship evil Gods of Blood, Decay, Scheming, and Debauchery and live brutal, primitive lives of war. Most lamentably, they all live directly under the shadow of Chaos and are slaves to its Will.

Depending on what version of the lore you go with, not all of Norsca is enthralled to Chaos. Old material mentions tribes and whole kingdoms living and coexisting with the Southlands, some even taking to worshiping other Gods like [[Ulric]]. Some of these tribes are even mentioned as fighting Chaos and trying to steer their brethren away from falling victim to it. Again, this varies quite a bit between editions and even within editions themselves.

The men of the Northlands have many different gods. Most are daemons and valorous dead or ascended Champions of Chaos deified by their tribes (a practice especially common with the Norse) or manifestations of the natural world (as is common amongst the Kurgan), but all the Northmen owe their highest worship to the Four Great Gods of Chaos, whom they readily recognize as the masters of these lesser deities. The Northmen do not think of the Chaos Gods as evil, as the superstitious men of the South are wont to. But as individuals, they are as unpredictable as mortals. Thus, the Northmen reasonably maintain that such powerful entities are beyond the moral judgment of men. It is thus every warrior's duty to honour the gods in all walks of life. Such things are self-evident. To deny the gods and not worship them would be foolish, their existence in the North is a simple fact of life; evident in the mark of Khorne proudly displayed by a Norscan marauder as he leaps from his longship to savage Imperial soldiers with his daemonic strength, or in the mark of Tzeentch borne by a Kurgan rider as he fells a Kislevite warrior with his new-found blade of bone in place of a hand. To resent this state of affairs would be like resenting the sunrise or the wind - What would it accomplish?

The Four are known by many names amongst the people of the North. Nonetheless, all the Gods are recognized by them. And it is not uncommon for the tribes to choose one god amongst them as a patron (the Norse tribes commonly take Khorne as theirs, while some tribes of the Kurgan may choose Tzeentch) - who is seen as the father and protector of their kindred. Lesser gods and daemons are also worshiped, along with great heroes peculiar to a particular tribe who are often chieftains who died such glorious deaths that they were raised to sit beside the god of their tribe in eternal glory.

Though they may seem barely civil in times of peace, the Norse, Kurgan and Hung are vicious races of bloodthirsty warriors. Used to battling amongst themselves - war is their natural state and they wage it without concern or prejudice. They rejoice in battle and strength at arms, and honour the brave of both sides while despising the cowards likewise. Yet they are willing to forget their differences when the Gods command them to fight on their behalf. For there is no greater joy than to fight and die in the armies of the immortals.

===The Daemon Norse===
{{topquote|From the harsh snowlands they come. Blond of hair they are, and blue of eye, and tattoos upon arms and face and chest. Their eyes are mad with bloodlust, for blood they thirst for, driven forth on the whims of the Gods they seek to appease. Clad in but few garments and wielding clumsy, brutal axes and maces, they rage against the civilized lands of the south, burning, pillaging, looting all before them to offer up as sacrifice to their uncaring masters beyond the gates of hell in the Northern Wastes.|The Liber Chaotica as penned by Richter Kleiss, former Priest of Sigmar}}

The Norse of Norsca are the most brutal, fierce and savage followers of the Chaos Gods in the Warhammer world. They are the tallest, most physically strong race in the Old World, raised amongst a culture that respects only strength and the ability to kill and closeness to the Primordial Gods. All of Norsca is in the thrall of Chaos, corrupting the mountainous wasteland with the essence of change that seeps not only into man and beast but the very ground itself. Mutations are so common as to be universal among the Norscans, seen as signs of blessings from the Chaos Gods. Mighty warbands prowl the mainland and the horrific mountain ranges that connects the lands of the Norse to the Chaos Wastes. The seas about Norsca are filled with massive longships mastered by the terrible Chaos Champions and their kinsmen who stride the seas searching for either artefacts, purchase by which they may wage war against the weak southlings as demanded by their Gods, or merely any other ship to vent their rage upon. When the call to war is given, the Norse are always at the forefront, tearing down all opposition and cleaving the way into the weak lands of Sigmar. The Norse are always on the warpath, launching continuous and brutal sea raids upon the heavily fortified coast of the Northern Empire and northern Kislev.

It should come as little surprise that the Norsemen are the most fiercely devout followers of Khorne, the God of War. And it is from the Norse that the majority of Khorne's followers are derived. Many Norse Champions of Chaos go on to be the most favored of Khorne's warriors; Cormac Bloodaxe, Scyla Anfingrimm, Hogan Headhacker, Haargroth the Blooded, Arbaal the Undefeated, Valmir Aesling, Hrothgar Daemonaxe, Urlfdaemonkin -- all savage Norse warriors who have risen to pre-eminence in the eyes of the Blood God. In fact, Khorne's own consort, Valkia the Bloody, has risen from the brutal clans of the Norse.

With such a track record, it was obvious that the Imperials would deny any idea that the Norse are even remotely human. Most theories tend to focus on their favour from the Dark Gods and use that as the bedrock for all kinds of claims. Due to them being incredibly strong, very tall and all warriors (at least, all those encountered commonly by the Imperials are such) and devoted to the Dark Gods, Imperials have come to the conclusions that the Norse are a race of superhumans, or that they are daemons shaped as men, or are half-giants. The truth, shaded in the fantastic as it is, is still more interesting.

Contrary to what the Imperials historians zealously claim; they are not the first ones to settle in the Reik basin. Even the Bretonnians and the Nehekharans have held a portion of the land that would later become the heart of the Empire, and the ancestors of the Norse were no different. Known as the Norsii, their ancestral homeland was indeed the frozen Wastes of Norsca. But some of their kinsmen migrated South to the lands that would become part of the Empire. The Norsii were ever the mighty and favored warriors of Chaos, as their descendants are. They were prone to waging bloody and terrible war upon the southern tribes, particularly the Udoses, Teutogens and Roppsmenn. The Norsii's reign of terror was only stopped by the hosts of the southlings gathering to drive them back to their frozen homeland. But from there they would rejoin their kinsmen who still dwelt in the North and return to continue their depredations. It was only Sigmar himself who managed to finally drive the Norsii hordes from the Empire. And only barely. It is a telling thing that the first defeat Sigmar ever suffered came at hands of the vicious Norsmen, led by the ancient Chaos Lord of Khorne: Cormac Bloodaxe.

The Norse are amongst the most fearsome and most devoted warriors of Chaos, but they are also devoted to their tribal affiliations. The tribe forms the very core of the Norse identity, as they are not a unified people by any means, and thus have no concept of nationality. A Norscan will never call himself such. He will identify himself based on tribe and parentage. A Varg will see his loyalties extend only to his immediate tribe and to a much lesser extent, others under the same confederation. After all, even amongst the various so called High Tribes, multitudes of lesser tribes and families will exist. For instance, under the Aesling High Tribe, there exists many other lesser clans owing allegiance to it; such as the Gorehunt, the Snaegr, Skrae and Untam. The various Norscan clans are divided into two main blocks for easy reference based on geography; the Northern tribes and the Southern tribes.

===The Northern Norscan Tribes===
*'''[[Aeslings]]''': The most dreaded and terrifying and powerful of the Norse High Tribes are the Aeslings. They are the most savage and brutal men of Norsca. Even among the other Northernmost Northman tribes they are held in fear. Only favour from the Gods and strength and excellence at arms are valued. [[Grimdark|Thus, they are a people who respect only strength and infants who do not measure to their standards of physical perfection are murdered outright with little fuss.]] While reprehensible, this combined with their constant warfare on others has forged a race who are undoubtedly some of the greatest warriors of all the Northmen. Amongst the Aesling tribes, it is [[Khorne]] who is worshiped above all other Gods and it is not uncommon for tribes to dedicate themselves solely to him. For even amongst the Norsemen, the Aeslings are a people who thrive on war. While one Champion of Chaos may master a crew of marauders who bring ruination on Erengrad or Nordland, another might lead his people in slaughtering the Norse Dwarfs or even their own Norse kinsmen. Even the Kurgans to the east are not safe from the Aeslings' reckless thirst for death, for it is often that an Aesling Jarl will lead his murderous kinsmen in preying upon the many roving Kurgan tribes, slaughtering them and offering up their lives to the vicious Chaos Gods. Their lust for killing has won them no friends, what few allies they have are bound to them by only fear and intimidation, for much like the god they worship, the Aes care not whence the blood flows.

*'''[[Vargs]]''': Another Northern tribe. The Vargs are the most twisted in body and soul of the Norse; they claim the Northern tundras as their lands and fought many horrific beasts to claim it, such as giants, beastmen and daemons of Chaos. They have managed to domesticate the fearsome mammoths of that area, and will often bear them to battle as beasts of war. The Vargs have a blood hatred of the Kurgans that dates backs to untold stretches of ancient history. Time has done little to dampen their hate, and they often mount massive raids into the Kurgan lands, which are joined by Aesling mercenaries, that wreak great devastation of the men of the Eastern Steppes. The Vargs are also dedicated warriors of Khorne, like the Aeslings, and are viciously devoted to his creed of death. The Vargs are said to have come from distant lands and settled in Norsca, led by their greatest and most legendary chieftain; a mighty Chaos Lord of Khorne known as Hrothgar Daemonaxe, who led them in conquering land and enslaving weaker tribes. Hrothgar later went deeper into the realms of the Gods and ascended to Daemonhood. The Vargs know Khorne by the name of ''Arkhar''. One day, a band of horny Varg maraduers decided to trouble the southerners. So, they travelled from all the way from northernmost part of Norsca to Nordland, hellbent on giving them a huuge trouble. And they did. One of these maraduers saw a random fisherman's beautiful wife and thought ''By the [[Slaanesh|Serpent]], that woman is hot. I am going to [[Rape|have fun]] with her.'' [[Grimdark|So he did]]. The result was the birth of a certain devout Templar Knight of Order of the Twin-Tailed Orb. What was his name? His name was [[Archaon|Diederick Kastnar]]. Sounds familiar? This makes the Vargs indirectly responsible for the [[Rage|destruction of Warhammer World]]. In the video game [[Total War: WARHAMMER]], they have a faction up in the Northern Norsca led by a chieftain named Surtha ''[[Meme|'''"BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION!"''']]'' Ek, who is known for slaughtering Southerners with the use of massive chariot tactics.

*'''[[Graelings]]''': The last of the Northern Norse tribes and the most westerly of the Norse, close to Elven lands and prone to raiding those places. They come into conflict with Dark Elven corsairs frequently and the terror of the villages and fortresses of Klar Karond. Though it is also said that when they are not killing them, the Graelings sell slaves culled from the southern lands and Ulthuan to the Dark Elves. They do not gravitate to one Chaos God over another, but are, like most Northman tribes, prone to celebrating Chaos in all its glory. Haargroth the Blooded rose up from this tribe.

===The Southern Norscan Tribes===
*'''[[Skaelings]]''': Sea raiders without equal, the Skaelings are perhaps [[Ork Kommando|the most cunning of the Norse]]. They are the closest of the Chaos worshipers to the southern lands, so it is not uncommon to find them raiding the South. During the Storm of Chaos, Skaeling sea-raiders were utilized to great effectiveness by the Lord of the End Times in harrying and diverting the fleets of Brettonia and Nordland. In addition to their veneration of the Chaos Gods, the Skaelings also worship another daemonic deity known as Mermedus, who some Imperial theologians consider to be a Norscan interpretation of Manann. Though there is little in common with the mighty Imperial sea-god and the abominable daemon the Skaelings make human sacrifices to. Others have considered Mermedus to be the Chaotic reflection of Stromfells, another ill-tempered deity of the sea. interestingly, their name is not a reference to the Vikings themselves, but to the people who lived around the north American colony of vinland, who they called the Skrælings. So the Skaelings may not be chaos Vikings, but rather Chaos Inuit.

*'''[[Baersonlings]]''': A people who would not be odd living in the North of Norsca, the Baersonlings are tireless reavers who are proud of their martial prowess, which is truthfully legendary even amongst the Northmen. Though they are not quite as strong and fierce as the Aeslings, they war with them frequently. Their relations with the Kurgan tribes is similarly icy, and their lands often stretch into the fringes of the Eastern Steppes, which invites war. Not that this disturbs the Baersonlings, war is just another way to glorify the Chaos Gods. They are known for their copious body hair and a strange Chaos mutation that transforms them into unstoppable bear-like monstrosities. Beorg Bearstruck, a powerful Champion of Chaos, and his marauder tribe, the Bearmen of Urslo, are descended from this strain of the Norse nation.

*'''[[Sarls]]''': The Sarls are rugged barbarian warriors. Mighty and indomitable and devoted to the Dark Powers, they have distinguished themselves in the armies of the Chaos Gods often. Wulfrik the Wanderer, one of the greatest Champions of Chaos and executioner of the Chaos Gods rose from these people. The Sarl also destroyed the last and most terrible of the treeblood, using the bark harvested from the creature to create the second ''Seafang'' of [[Wulfrik the Wanderer|Wulfrik]] after the first was lost in a raid on the Elves. Oh and this clan was destroyed after Wulfrik fucked it up by killing the chieftain son and rival clan puppet leader to once again incite the civil war between the two.

*'''[[The Hobbit|Bjorn]]lings''': Little is known of this tribe. But among them are the Crow Brothers, devout warriors of Nurgle.

*'''[[Rotbloods]]''': A tribe of Nurgle worshippers, mentioned in [[Vermintide]] and an enemy faction in the sequel. A tribe driven to such desperation that they not only primarily worship Nurgle (rare for Norscans) but even thought it would be smart to [[derp|ally with]] [[Skaven]]. The champion Bovarr Ribspreader leads their war parties in the south. Thanks to the Skaven created Skittergate, they got to give Helmsgart an early preview of the End Times during the fighting, though they got smashed in [[Vermintide 2]] and Bödvarr was cut down.

===Famous Norse Chaos Champions===
"''I pity you and all the world, for amongst all the races of men, the gods favour we Norse alone''."

*'''[[Morkar the Uniter]]''': The First Everchosen of Chaos; Morkar was the survivor of an Imperial raid upon his village in the aftermath of the defeat of Cormac Bloodaxe's horde at the gates of Middenheim. He rose up to become the greatest Champion of Chaos of his generation and united the Norse tribes in his quest to gain the mark of the gods. He reaped many great conquests and honour and fear were heaped upon his name. No foe could withstand his rage in battle and no enemy was beyond his keen mind to defeat. Eventually, he was crowned as the Eternal Conqueror of the Gods by Be'lakor and led the vengeful Norsemen and their Kurgan allies in unmaking the decadent Empire. He was only defeated narrowly in single combat with Sigmar himself (pre retcon it was Aenarion who killed him). After his death, his body was taken by his kinsmen and buried in a great cairn in the Chaos Wastes. A sliver of Morkar's spirit remained in the armour long after his death, left to brood over his defeat and to forever curse the name of the cowardly Sigmar who derailed his great conquest by his craven single combat. (Let it never be said that, whatever his badass credentials, Morkar was NOT a sore loser.) Morkar the Uniter's rest was disturbed millennia after by his successor, Archaon, who sought the legendary indestructible armour of the First Everchosen in his quest for the 6 Treasures of Chaos; even in death, Morkar was too great for the Lord of the End Times to defeat in open battle. It was only by shouting a curse in the long dead tongue of the Unberogen tribe, the people of Sigmar, that Archaon was able to immobilize the reanimated armour of the dead Champion and defeat it, casting the last part of his spirit back to the Realm of Chaos and take the legendary armour for his own. To this day, Morkar's Chaos plate protects the Lord of the End Times, granting him the same incredible invulnerability as it did its former wearer.

*'''[[Cormac Bloodaxe]]''': One of the first great leaders of the Warriors of Chaos, and the first Champion of Chaos to be possessed by a greater daemon of Khorne. Cormac Bloodaxe, son of Varag Skulltaker, witnessed the rout of his people at the hand of the tyrant Sigmar. Though the Norsii fought fiercely and slew many despite their small numbers, Sigmar's forces were too numerous and his strange war-machines burned away the proud longships that carried the Norsemen in bringing ruination and desolation to the enemies of the Dark Gods of the North. The Norsii returned to their ancestral homeland of Norsca, and a molten core of hate and violence began to burn in Cormac's heart, which would lead him to becoming the greatest Chosen of Khorne and a force of such might and power that would reunite the tribes of Norsca into an unstoppable host that would crush the Empire of Sigmar. With the aid of the Norsii sorcerer, Kar Odacen, Cormac did bind the Norse tribes to his banner, reclaimed the ancient Chaos armour of his father, and bound a great daemon of Khorne to his axe. The eastern tribes of the Kurgan and Hung also prostrated themselves to the Norseman's banner and pledged their lives to his glory. Cormac's leadership saw the first decisive defeat the Imperials ever suffered, he had managed to match wits with Sigmar and defeated him utterly. At the behest of his sorcerer, Cormac was led to invade the City of the White Wolf. In spite of his better judgement which said to instead surround the city and isolate and pick off Sigmar's reinforcements from other southern tribes. Yet, Cormac was leader of the Norsii by the will of the Gods alone, and the Gods willed him to end the Empire with one fell stroke. Cormac's superior Norse warriors, drunk on the blessings of the Dark Gods, and strengthened with armies of daemons and beastmen assaulted Middenheim and victory was near. On the counsel of his shaman, Cormac offered himself up to become the sacrifice necessary to bring forth a Bloodthirster to break the final defenses of Middenheim. The Bloodthirster crossed blades with Sigmar and cast him down, readying for the killing stroke until Ulric himself intervened and cast the daemon into the Realm of Chaos. The Norsii later fled back to Norsca with this setback.

*'''[[Hrothgar Daemonaxe]]''': A great Chaos Lord dedicated to Khorne, first chieftain of the Vargs, and said to be as powerful as a mighty Bloodthirster in battle. It was Hrothgar who led the Vargs out from the East to settle the northern tundras of Norsca, destroying and enslaving weaker tribes of Norse and Kurgan on the way. Bearing a great daemonic battleaxe forged in the visage of a howling wolf, Hrothgar's favour from Arkhar the Wolf (the Varg name for Khorne) was clear. After his many victories were completed, he went to the Chaos Wastes and ascended to Daemonhood. To this day, Hrothgar Daemonaxe is venerated by all Vargs as a lesser deity of Chaos. And is believed to stand at the right hand of Khorne where he sternly judges the exploits of his people.

*'''[[Valmir Aesling]]''': King of the Aesling tribes, one time ally to Asavar Kul, self styled 'Emperor of Chaos' and bane of the Norse Dwarfs. Valmir Aesling was a ruthless and efficient leader of Men. Brooding and silent, save for the occasional and invariably fatal burst of temper. He was feared and renowned for punishing any insolence or slight with the most horrific tortures imaginable. When Asavar Kul was slain at the gates of Kislev (and there are rumours that Valmir himself might have done the deed, for a jagged blade was found impaled in Kul's skull), Valmir was fighting a secret, but no less bloody war against the Norse Dwarf holds. Valmir despised all the races of the Old World, except his own, and thus had long desired the destruction of the Dwarfs that hid in the southern mountains around his homeland of Norsca. Valmir swore an oath to Khorne: he would not rest until he had destroyed the Dwarfs by cutting out the heart of their nation, the hold of Kraka Drak. Valmir's Norse warriors faced the Dwarfs and soon both were locked in a vicious stalemate. But Valmir had planned the battle well, he had gained the allegiance of the Khornate Daemon Prince Aghask, who smashed aside the Dwarf's resistance in key areas, he had gained the aid of battalions of Chaos Knights from Troll Country who crushed the Dwarfen rearguard. Valmir himself charged across the field on his Chaos Chariot, pulled by six skinless bears, slaughtering all opposition to face the Norse Dwarf High King in battle. Valmir threw the severed heads of his champions before him and challenged him to single combat. Incensed at this barbarous affront to his people's honour, the Dwarf King accepted the Norse Lord's challenge. Both armies held their breath as their lords faced one another in a mighty duel. Though Valmir was more than thrice the Dwarf's height, he found himself evenly matched against the ancient, doughty king. Seeing that he could not defeat the Norse King, the Dwarf Lord shouted one word; ''"cannons!"''. Thus, did the Dwarfs fire the great canons of Kraka Drak, shattering the Norse Chaos Warriors and entombing both them and thousands of Dwarfs until the collapsed ruin of what was once the mightiest of the northern Dwarf cities. Both Valmir and the Dwarf King had fallen, slain not by each other's steel, but by snow and stone. Yet, the hold was indeed no more, and underneath the ruins, the hardened Norsemen continued on, methodically slaughtering the remaining Dwarfs. Valmir, albeit posthumously, had upheld his grim oath.

*'''[[Wulfrik the Wanderer]]''': Perhaps the greatest warrior to rise up from the Sarl tribes is Wulfrik the Wanderer, whose name is spoken in fearful whispers. Once a champion of Chaos Undivided amongst the Sarls who thwarted the armies of a great Aesling tribe and slew their king, a mighty Champion of Chaos known as Torgald, Wulfrik had made a drunken boast at the battle's end that he was greater than any warrior in this world or the next. After passing out from quaffing no less than 7 barrels of mead, Wulfrik found his dreams visited by an emissary of the Dark Gods he worshiped. The emissary told Wulfrik that the gods were displeased with his boastful tongue, but had seen fit to allow him to prove his arrogant words. When he awoke, Wulfrik found he had been marked by not one, but all of the four great gods of Chaos, and his tongue was re-shaped into a flitting, forked thing that allowed him to speak in any language. Wulfrik claimed his legendary longship, the Seafang, from the hoard of a Skaeling Chaos Sorceror who he slew in combat. From then on, Wulfrik would be known as the Inescapable One, travelling the hinterlands of the world to slay the fiercest creatures at the whims of the gods. Wulfrik is perhaps one of the greatest warriors in all the world, for he has slaughtered giants, dragons and merwyrms like cattle and even daemons have cowed before him and begged his mercy. He is the Executioner of the Chaos Gods, and is one of their most devout followers. To Khorne he offers up the skulls of those he has slain, to Slaanesh he gives their still-beating hearts, to Nurgle the contents of their slit guts, and Tzeentch he honours with their final breath.

*'''[[Valkia the Bloody]]''': The Sword-Maiden of the Blood God, the Bringer of Glory, the Chooser of the Slain and the Gorequeen of the Norse. Valkia is Khorne's servant who carries the spirits of worthy warriors so that they may fight on forever in the Blood God's Halls. The sagas of her people tell that she was once a mortal woman, a Norse queen of the ancient and long-dead Schwarzvolf tribe. She gained the favour of Khorne by slaying any who dared contest her claim in honourable battle and also by defeating the Champions of the lesser Chaos Gods. Foremost amongst these was Locephax, a daemon prince of Slaanesh who sought to enslave the warrior-queen. Valkia felt the berserker rage come upon her and she took up her great spear Slaupnir and struck down the daemon and affixed its severed head to her shield. Valkia then traveled to the uttermost North of the world and, with the fanaticism of the true believer, pledged herself utterly to the Axefather. Valkia almost succeeded in coming before her beloved god's throne, but was slain like countless others in the twisted hellscape of the realm of Chaos. Khorne was displeased, for he had great plans for the woman, and his bellowing fury was so thunderous that it shook the world and roused Valkia from death. Khorne was angry with her weak mortal form and remade her into a being more pleasing to him. A true vision of destructive power: great bloody wings tore out from her once shapely back, her legs were refashioned into those of a bloodletter and massive horns rose from her skull. Her only purpose now is to reap more skulls for her mighty lord and to choose the valorous Norsemen dedicated to Khorne who fall fight on at their god's side in the Realm of Chaos 'till his rage devours all that exists. When Valkia takes to the mortal skies, all the Norse tribes dedicated to Khorne march under her shadow, for they know that she will carry them to the realms beyond to be Khorne's chosen in the afterlife, a prize beyond all measure. Where she flies, whole lands are drenched in blood. Such is the power Khorne has granted her.

*'''[[Scyla Anfingrimm]]''': The Saga of the Gorebeast is a long and terrifying one amongst the savage Norse clans, the fame of the Talon of Khorne lives long in the songs sung by the Skalds of many a Norscan meadhall and in the terrified ramblings of those few Imperials who have born witness to the unstoppable fury of Scyla and survived. Tales told of a hulking beast the colour of blood who wears a massive bronze collar and is festooned with the blasphemous ritual marks of Khorne, and who lays low all who stand against him with its unquenchable thirst for death. Yet, it was not always so. For the greatest of Khorne's [[Chaos Spawn]] was once a man, '''once a man, ONCESSSSE A MAAAANNRGABLFARBLLEHC--'''--ahem--was once one of his greatest and most fearsome champions. Scyla Anfingrimm was the bane of the Old World from his homeland of frozen Norsca to the shores of distant Ind, his name synonymous with victory, slaughter and pillage. As a man, Scyla was marked by Khorne and elevated into the highest echelons of the god's favour; earning not only the respect of his tribesmen but all the raiders of the neighboring fjords. It was Scyla who single-handedly laid low the fearsome Jabberwock that plagued the River Voltag, and it was Scyla's daemonic greatsword that destroyed the tentacled beast that ruled the Bay of Blades. Every spring, he and his marauders would take to their longships and slaughter their way through the Empire, through Bretonnia and even as far south of Khemri. Returning from their raids drunk on blood and glory, the hulls of their ships filled to bursting with ancient treasures and slaves ready to be thrown upon sacrificial pyres dedicated to Khorne. The people of the Ironpelt would often chatter about how Scyla would soon ascend to daemonhood. They were right in a sense. After orchestrating the Massacre of Black Gulch, which caused the great chasm to run red with Skaven blood, Scyla was gifted with even greater physical strength and massive ape-like arms infused with the power of Chaos. Thanking the Axefather for his blessing, Scyla launched daring raids against the war-dhows of Dhuli armada, personally reducing their great flagship to splinters. This time, he was gifted a serpentine tail ending with a snapping maw. Scyla's merciless killing of the Chaos Dwarf delegation sent to trade with his tribe resulted in a great profusion of horn-like plates covering his mighty frame. After single-handedly annihilating the bestial Gorgers of the Undermountain, Khorne was so pleased with Scyla's might that he gifted the Champion with the mind of a ravenous beast. With that, Scyla's body spiraled out of control. His transformation into a Chaos Spawn was complete '''NO!!! GRISHIISOSKS'''. That day, Scyla fell from a feared and far-famed warlord. His warband fell to the leadership of his second-in-command and next most favoured of Khorne; Erlock One-Eye. Scyla was still afforded the same respect and honour from his companions, arguably moreso, for now he was a living sacrament to Khorne's power and might. Unlike other Chaos Spawn '''Not Again! GRAAAGH!''', Scyla remains the favoured of Khorne; a testament to his greatness in his former life. Scyla exists as he did before, only to fight and slaughter for the pleasure of his fearsome god. His destiny is only to mete out death against those foolish enough to face him.

*'''[[Sigvald|Sigvald the Magnificent]]''': Chaos Lord [[A Song of Ice and Fire|Joffrey]]. Though he appears no more than a boy of sixteen, Sigvald the Magnificent has blighted the Old World for three centuries. The inbred child of a great Norse Chaos Lord and his own sister, Sigvald was spoiled with all he ever wished, it was only after his cannibalistic tendencies were revealed that the tribe forced him out. Feigning dismay, Sigvald sneaked into the longhouse and murdered his own father while he slept, fleeing then to the Chaos Wastes. The personification of beauty on the outside, but as horrifying as the lowest Spawn on the inside, Sigvald rides as Geld-Prince of the Decadent Host; an army of amorous madwomen and men who seek to attend his every debased whim. Marked by the Prince of Excess and gifted with Sliverslash, a blade forged from a sliver of the Sword of Slaanesh, it is clear to all that Sigvald the Magnificent is the greatest Champion of Slaanesh to walk the world. Recently tried to kill all the high Elves on the grounds that they must die for having better hair than him. (Seriously, this guy is pretty much Joffrey from [[A Song of Ice and Fire]]; both were born from brother-sister incest, both are handsome blonde men, both are arrogant and morally repulsive [[That Guy|shits]]. The difference is Sigvald is still alive and even more [[Grimdark]])

*'''[[Vilitch the Curseling]]''': Once upon a time, two twins were born. One of them was Thomin, a well-liked, well-built man who was a great warrior and whom everyone expected to become a great leader. The other was Vilitch, a twisted, decrepit freak whom everyone beat up and could only scrape by as some sorcerer's apprentice. Needless to say, Vilitch hated this setup and prayed to [[Tzeentch]] for him to switch the twins' destinies. Then, one Geheimnisnacht, the big bird answered and merged the twins together. Vilitch was now fused to Thomin's body and as a result became far smarter and more magically adept while Thomin became reduced to a braindead brute. The twin-abomination then decided to use this newfound power to murder all the people who made fun of him and used his magic to mentally enslave the mightiest warriors of his tribe.

*'''[[Festus the Leechlord]]''': Doctor, plaguemaster, and one of [[Nurgle]]'s favorite guys. Originally a good Nordland doctor who knew everything about how to cure diseases. He was then driven to insanity when he found himself incapable of curing a certain plague that swept the lands and in desperation, made a pact with the plague god in order to learn the knowledge needed to cure it. Sure, he got that knowledge, but he also turned so insane that he stopped caring about curing things and began a life of testing out all sorts of diseases and being a generally sick sack of shit (as most Nurglites are wont to). So he became basically the Dr Mengele of the Old World.

*'''[[Dragon Ogres|Kholek Suneater]]''': A FUCKING HUGE 4 legged dragon Ogre. He is a massive Beast armed with a HUUUGE THUNDER HAMMER who can crush dragons. He was a living battering ram who also managed to crush bloodthirsters.

===The Kurgan Tribes===

Not much is known about Kurgans, because they're generally overlooked by GW in favor of their Norscan brothers. There is still some information, however:

*'''Khazags''': They're known as the guys who had first tamed the War Mammoths. [[Games Workshop|Creatively named after Kazakh nation.]]
*'''Dolgans''': [[That Guy|That Guys]] of Kurgan. They hate every other Chaos-affiliated tribe as much as the southerners and prefer to kill everyone who isn't Dolgan on sight. Some of them, thankfully, managed to avoid the Gods' corruption and now live in [[Kislev]], though their population is declining.
*'''[[Space Wolves|Iron Wolves]]''': An interesting tribe, because it's only partially Kurgan. These furries also have a Norse ancestry, descending from the vikings whose asses were kicked by [[Sigmar]] so hard they had to run to the [[Eastern Steppes]]. They are resented by both ancestral tribes and generally think of themselves as independent people.
*'''[[Asavar Kul|Kul]]''': Yeah, those Kul. They're probably the strongest Kurgan tribe that constantly raids the shit out of the neighbours and have a well-developed slavery system. They're also interesting for their complicated religious views, as they do not swear themselves to one of [[Chaos Gods|four major Gods]], instead [[Chaos Undivided|praying to hundred gods and seeking the favor of all of them.]] [[Black Legion|So, pretty much these guys.]] [[Asavar Kul]], Zar of the Kul, was the twelfth Everchosen of Chaos who fought during the [[Great War Against Chaos]] leading the Chaos forces. After Asavar died, his successor was usurped and murdered by [[Vardek Crom]], who is the current Zar.
*'''Tahmaks''', '''Tokmars''', '''Yusak''' etc.: really minor tribes that are barely mentioned in the lore.

===The Kurgan Characters===

*'''The Great Kurgan''': [[Jaghatai Khan|Genghis Khan]] of Kurgans who is only mentioned in [[Tamurkhan: Throne of Chaos]] supplements. He did the unthinkable and managed to unite all of the tribes, creating a truly gigantic empire that managed to beat Hung, [[Hobgoblin|Hobgoblins]] and [[Cathay]]. [[Awesome|Impressive.]] He was also the first Kurgan chieftain to make a deal with [[Chaos]] to get their power on his side, though eventually they fucked him over.
*'''Asavar Kul''': [[Gets shit done|gets shit done]]. Managed to cripple [[Kislev]] for centuries way before both [[Archaon]] and [[Abaddon|Failbaddon]] even managed to do something meaningful. Has his own [[Asavar Kul|page]].
*'''Tamurkhan''': a [[Nurgle|Nurglite]] warrior riding a toad, who is a protagonist of the narrative-driven campaign of the same name. Has his own [[Tamurkhan|page]].
*'''Surtha Lenk''': minor [[Tzeench|Tzeenchite]] warlord and the commander of [[Archaon|Archaon's]] vanguard. Took part in destruction of [[Kislev]] and [[Ostland]] during the [[End Times]].
*'''Vardek Crom''': current Kul chieftain (Zar) and the Herald of Everchosen. Has his own [[Vardek Crom|page]].

=== The Hung ===
{{topquote|Them Kurgan is bad. But the Hung, they jus’ nasty.|Gorg, famous [[Ogre Kingdoms|Ogre]] Philosopher}}

{{topquote|We make deal, yes? You give us gold and women, we no attack. You not give enough gold or women, so we attack. We attack anyway. We make deal, yes?|Average Hung diplomat, showing that even [[The Beast|some orks]] from the [[Warhammer 40,000|different setting]] are better in negotiations than them}}
The least described [[Chaos]] race, mainly for three reasons: they operate in [[Naggaroth]] and [[Eastern Lands]], and the incursions in those regions are described only in the short sentences of some backstory fluff; they're similar to their Kurgan brothers in almost everything; and finally, they're a [[Hobgoblin|pretty negative Mongolian stereotype]], and [[Games Workshop|GW]] certainly doesn't want another [[Pygmies (Warhammer Fantasy)|Pygmies]].

Overall, from what we can gather Hungs are savages and barbarians to the extreme: while previous Chaos races at least have some sort of society and culture, these people only exist to [[RIP AND TEAR|kill, slaughter, rape and fight]]. All they need is a woolen tent, a [[Choppa|choppa]] and a steed. Seriously, their love for <s>horses</s> ponies can only be rivaled by [[Bretonnia|Bretonnians]] (so... Chaos Bretonnians?). Another faction which they resemble are [[Skaven]]: Hungs are insanely backstabby and have no honor at all, to the point that "A Word of Hung" in [[Cathay]] means a "Worthless Promise". Hell, they even abuse the dogs that they use for hunting. [[That Guy|Bastards]]. Oh, and they're cannibals.

With that being said, what do we have in the end? The Hung are insanely evil barbarians that have no respect for anyone or anything and are hated by every other faction (including fellow Chaos Warriors). They have no redeeming qualities and rival Skaven for being the most evil race in the entire game. So, it's probably good that GW downplayed them severely.

Despite their name, they don't seem to favour Slaanesh more than any other Chaos God.

== Gallery ==
<center>
<gallery>
File:Northlanders.jpg|WE FIGHT THE HORDE, SINGING AND CRYING; '''VALHALLA'''! I AM COMING!!
File:Chaos marauder by artofty-d3f5hof.jpg|KHORNE!! OPEN THE GATES OF YOUR HALL!!
File:Chaos Longships.jpg|Their main method of transportation.
File:Khorne-Art.jpg|Kjarl Deathaxe and the Blood Drinkers.
File:Wulfrik_Gif.jpg.gif|Wulfrik the Wanderer on a morning stroll.
</gallery>
</center>

==See Also==
*[[Warhammer/Tactics/Warriors of Chaos]] - A guide on how to lead these awesome barbarians to glory and bloodshed and the notice of the [[Chaos|Gods]].
*[[Viking|Vikings]] - What they are based off. Just in case you forgot.
*[[Chaos Space Marines]] - Their 40K counterparts.
*[[Chaos]] - What did they worship again?

{{Playable Factions in Warhammer Fantasy Battle}}

{{Chaos-Champions}}

T'au Septs

2022-07-20T12:39:06Z

2001:8003:1C20:8C00:D5C9:8659:B360:48D6: /* Fal'shia */

Since their lack of astropaths means that messages and proclamations can take the equivalent of Terran weeks even to reach across the T'au Empire, the T'au have gotten pretty good at delegating. With each new wave of settlement (or "sphere"), T'au designate worlds that are most suitable for settlement as "sept worlds." These serve as the local center of government for the system and sometimes other systems nearby. Fittingly for the naïve space communists, it is roughly equivalent to an SSR.

Each sept has a certain number of worlds within its borders, and each sept [[What|has its own dialect]], fleet, and army, as well as having its own way of waging war.

==Minor Note==
It should be pointed out that these septs are divided into two unequal groups: the Empire proper, which is located near Ultramar; and the newer, weirder, Nem'yar Atoll, a region of Imperial space somewhere near Baal. The last three septs on this list are in the Nem'yar Atoll, while the rest are located in the Empire proper.

It's worth noting that videogames and campaign books mention a few other septs, but they didn't make the cut to the 8e Codex, so presumably they're either isolated from the rest of the T'au or have been abandoned/overrun by enemies.

Also only five of the septs have official rules but there are now rules for "Custom Septs" which can be used for your own fictional sept or just one of the minor non-canon septs.

==T'au==
Obviously, the homeworld gets its own Sept. The Capital of the T'au Empire, it is heavily defended by Orbital Stations, significant Kor'Vattra assets, and even a massive fortress on the planet surface to protect the Ethereals in case of invasion. The planet itself has a few seas, with arid Savannah and scattered mountains. T'au from this sept are considered especially learned and wise.

The only other couple of facts worth mentioning are that no alien has ever set foot on this planet, and that T'au has a moon named Lu'val, which they colonized, and that most new colonies base themselves upon this sept.

In acknowledgement of their devotion to the Greater Good and the patiently defensive behavior usually advocated by Ethereals, their Sept Tenet in 8e gives them 5+ in overwatch and when using the Greater Good ability.

==T'au'n==
The first colony the T'au ever developed, this sept and its planet specialize in [[Just As Planned|incredibly complicated plans]] as well as naval combat. They have the largest Air Caste stations and host the greatest number of Kor'vattra ships. T'au from this sept are considered pioneers and spacefarers.

Interestingly, this sept highly advocates the idea of having multiple weapons on a battlesuit, instead of just strapping on three melta guns and calling it a day.

==D'yanoi==
A tidally locked world that was separated from the Empire by [[Warp|unnatural space storms]]. As a result, they fell behind the rest of the Empire, and are considered rustic and backwards. Basically T'au rednecks.

Fluff indicates that D'yanoi was home to Reptilian beasts that would eat the colonists, indicating that it is very much close to a death world, and that Orks tend to roam the area, though they generally get their butts kicked by the bluies. They also tend to have an abnormally high numbers of Vespid allies in their Cadres due to the sept's proximity to the planet Vespid.

==Bork'an==
Probably one of the more prominent ones, this sept is the big research sector of the Empire. Warriors from here have fantastic weapons and are generally restrained in attitude. When training to use the KV-128 Stormsurge Battlesuits (aka BFG attached to legs), T'au will be sent here, where they must graduate from the academy in order to be allowed to use the Stormsurge with their partner.

To reflect their cutting-edge technology/craftsmanship, their Sept Tenet in 8e gives an extra 6" of range to their Rapid Fire and Heavy weapons, making their gunlines just that much scarier.

Originally, a race known as the Poctroon inhabited the planet, [[Ork Snipers|but they died off due to a plague, and the T'au took the planet after their species went extinct.]]

==Dal'yth==
This planet is where the T'au ground the Damocles Gulf Crusade into a stalemate. Originally, Dal'yth was a planet comprised originally of lush jungles and segmented beasts, but was forcibly tamed by the T'au until it essentially looked like Shanghai in speeeehhhhssss. Essentially, Dal'yth was OG T'au Vietnam.

As a result of all their time hunting in jungles and ambushing Ravenguard and Catachan, the T'au of Dal'yth have become excellent at camouflage and ambushes. This is reflected in their 8e Sept Tenet, [[Creed|the benefit of cover as long as they stand still]].

This extensive colonization sort of wrecked the native population, and now the planet is home to a pretty wide and diverse variety of xenos along with Water Caste T'au, who serve as cultural mediators and facilitate trade with off-worlders.

Dal'yth is also the birthplace of Commander [[Commander_Puretide|Puretide]]

==Fal'shia==
Fal'shia is the Tau version of a Forgeworld, but its sept is devoted to it. Fal'shia T'au are considered great problem solvers, and are the ones who generally fiddle with technology until they make it better than it was before. The Ad Mech could stand to learn a thing or two from this sept, if they weren't too busy blowing gaskets over the amount of tech '''HERESY''' present.

Also of interest is Commander Or'es'Ka-led warriors from here in the Kaurava campaign. Fire Warriors from Fal'shia willingly test new weapons, [[Skaven|even if it means they explode on their face and kill them,]] and otherwise closely resemble the Bork'an in demeanor.

==Vior'la==
Vior'la is the T'au version of Tatooine (T'autooine?). Colonists have to live in special domes because the planet is ravaged by plasma storms, and is in fact the way they once defeated an Ork invasion. T'au from here contrast with Bork'an mostly by being the hot-blooded anime protagonists. Breacher and Pathfinder teams tend to be popular here for these reasons. Vior'la is the Birthplace of Farsight, and is home to some of the most prominent Fire Caste academies.

One of the more derp stories for the T'au involve Vior'la and some World Eaters. Somehow, the [[RAGE|influence]] of Khorne was able to catch on with the Vior'la Fire Warriors, convincing them to break gunlines and enter close quarters combat with the World Eaters. Obviously, this cost the T'au ''very'' dearly. Some Ethereals were dispatched to deal with this, but the fact that this even happened is fucking stupid. Though Khorne does seem to take an interest in [[Farsight|T'au from Vior'la]], so... it’s stupid anyway. While T'au are not immune to Chaos—including a freaking Chaos God turning its gaze on them—this was often in individual T'au, not entire armies.

Still, despite this possible Khornate influence, their 8e Sept Tenet nonetheless focuses on shooting rather than melee by letting all their Rapid Fire weapons count as Assault, and removing the penalty for advancing and firing said Assault weapons. So while they don't do any better in close combat, they do at least get there faster, for [[skub|what it's worth]].

The 9th Edition Codex expanded on their aggressive tendencies further: Vior'lan implementations of the Patient Hunter philosophy overwhelmingly use crippled or cut-off hostile forces as a lure, and even the sept's Water Caste diplomats have a reputation across the Empire as something akin to a used car salesman.

==Sa'cea==
Sa'cea is a highly urbanized sept and the last sept of the First Sphere of Expansion. Before the world could be colonized, the T'au had to land forces to kill off flesh-eating predators. So in that regard it appears they learned from the D'yanoi affair.

Packed to the gills with more kids than they know what to do with, Sa'cea T'au sent off a ridiculous number of colonization fleets during the Second Sphere of Expansion. As a result, they're generally seen as stoic and honourable warriors.

On the tabletop, 8e a Sept Tenet that buffs their Leadership and lets them re-roll one hit per unit because they're just that cool under pressure.

==Au'taal==
Au'taal is basically a massive retirement villa. T'au from here tend to be regarded as lazy: this sept is where old heroes of the Empire would retire to if they survived long enough. Aun'shi was probably gonna end up here before he was reassigned to keep kicking ass, much to his chagrin.

Au'taal has a big fucking pile of guns, because defending old people is important and shit, and the fruits harvested from here tend to be used to trade with other races.

==N'dras==
N'dras has a moon, and an Ocean World, named Kvariam, which was invaded by the [[Space Wolves]] at some point. N'dras is considered a spooky and strange world, and most T'au don't like it, considering anyone from there to be untrustworthy, brooding, and quick tempered. Earth Caste scientists often require hefty protection from the Fire Caste when conducting experiments here.

It was all-but-abandoned by Ethereal decree, to serve as a secret testing location of the XV95 Ghostkeel battlesuits.

==Kel'shan==
Tau from the Kel'shan sept were one of the first attacks from the Dark Eldar arrived here. Then, they met the Death Guard. Oh, also the Imperium. Aaaaaand the 'Nids.

It used to have two other colonies in its borders, Sh'draig and Ka'mais, but both got nommed by the nids. Regardless, the sept has held on pretty well, able to beat them all back.

Essentially proto-4th sphere xenophobes, the surviving sept members are solemn and openly hostile and mistrustful of aliens. So, basically they’ve achieved something close to what passes as common sense in Warhammer 40,000.

They also spearheaded the development of the XV107 R'varna Battlesuit.

==Elsy'eir==
A T'au sept equivalent of theatre kids to Bork'an science nerds and Kel'shan DIY lunatics. They're generally seen as artistic and intellectual compared to the more applied sciences of other T'au worlds.

It has many moons, most of which are mined for valuable minerals to produce both regular battlesuits and the powerful XV104 Riptide. Production facilities are located here as well, making this a valuable region for the Empire.

==Tash'var==
A sept that have some of the best Razorshark pilots and Breacher teams in the Empire. T'au from here are said to be hardy, tenacious, and courageous. They have handled Ork invasions and raids, much like Kel'shan (but with less xenophobia).

They also have precious gems which they use to trade with other races in the galaxy.

==Vash'ya==
The last sept to be founded during the Second Sphere of Expansion, it was a barren world that was terraformed by the T'au to make it breathable again. The Air Caste settled into zero-G orbital settlements right away however and still make up a pretty sizable chunk of the sept. The vast network of orbital infrastructure over this world makes it an ideal hotspot to recruiting spaceship officers and crew.

Once, the Hrud invaded this world, but the T'au beat them away with some drones and remote control battlesuits. Why the T'au don't use these more often is a question which GW haven't yet seen fit to answer.

==T'olku==
T'olku is essentially a model sept designed to demonstrate the awesomeness of T'au'va to potential allies. As one would expect, it is the place where aliens are sent to learn about T'au culture. It also has large Ethereal temples, and was once visited by an Imperial Fist, who was there to try and delay the T'au from invading the world of Nimbosa through sneaky diplomacy.

As one would expect from an Imperial Fist, they failed hard.

==Ksi'm'yen==
Formerly an Imperial world, it was conquered by the T'au, and Gue'vesa who were here were evacuated to the middle of the Empire for their safety. Generally, considering what the Imperium [[BLAM|does]] to defectors, this was probably a good call.

Hilariously, the T'au captured a genestealer, then [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_Resurrection decided to experiment with it], until eventually a rebellion broke out, resulting in a decade long quarantine before an [[Genestealer|eccentric Ethereal]] declared the planet clean and productive in a move that is definitely not going to end badly (if GW ever remembers to progress this particular plotline).

==Fi'rios==
A former Ork world, these planets were wrested from them by the legendary Shas'O Kais and is a veritable fortress. However, fighting still occurs, but these T'au refuse to give up due to their tenacity and all out pure ballsiness that puts them leagues above other T'au.

==Mu'gulath Bay==
Destroyed during the Third Sphere of Expansion. Not much worth noting, except that the capital got an [[Exterminatus]] dropped on it, only for an Earth Caste shield generator to protect the T'au and their allies inside. Many of the survivors attempted to defect to the Farsight Enclaves, but most were killed by loyalist T'au forces.

Mu'gulath Bay was the last—and greatest—failure of the Third Sphere of Expansion.

==Fe'saan==
It is described as a beautiful world in the Nem'yar Atoll, and is home to most of the T'au administrative operations in the region. The Water and Air Castes maintain significant assets here.

The world was first colonized by Survivors of the Fourth Sphere of Expansion, and later further developed by Fifth Sphere T'au.

==Kor'tal==
Another Death World that the T'au colonized. This sept specializes in producing and collecting dark matter from an orbiting black hole which is used in industrial and military assets, the most notable of these being the reactors for XV104 Riptide Battlesuits.

==Yo'Vai==
A curious sept that literally has a giant fucking Halo ring, except that it is just a landmass with a breathable atmosphere. The Earth Caste continues to debate what it is and how it formed, though the most widely accepted one is that it was some ancient terraforming technology.

Fire Caste tank pilots and Air Caste pilots from around the atoll usually train here.

{{40k-Planets}}

[[Category:Tau]]

T'au Septs

2022-07-20T12:31:59Z

2001:8003:1C20:8C00:D5C9:8659:B360:48D6:

Since their lack of astropaths means that messages and proclamations can take the equivalent of Terran weeks even to reach across the T'au Empire, the T'au have gotten pretty good at delegating. With each new wave of settlement (or "sphere"), T'au designate worlds that are most suitable for settlement as "sept worlds." These serve as the local center of government for the system and sometimes other systems nearby. Fittingly for the naïve space communists, it is roughly equivalent to an SSR.

Each sept has a certain number of worlds within its borders, and each sept [[What|has its own dialect]], fleet, and army, as well as having its own way of waging war.

==Minor Note==
It should be pointed out that these septs are divided into two unequal groups: the Empire proper, which is located near Ultramar; and the newer, weirder, Nem'yar Atoll, a region of Imperial space somewhere near Baal. The last three septs on this list are in the Nem'yar Atoll, while the rest are located in the Empire proper.

It's worth noting that videogames and campaign books mention a few other septs, but they didn't make the cut to the 8e Codex, so presumably they're either isolated from the rest of the T'au or have been abandoned/overrun by enemies.

Also only five of the septs have official rules but there are now rules for "Custom Septs" which can be used for your own fictional sept or just one of the minor non-canon septs.

==T'au==
Obviously, the homeworld gets its own Sept. The Capital of the T'au Empire, it is heavily defended by Orbital Stations, significant Kor'Vattra assets, and even a massive fortress on the planet surface to protect the Ethereals in case of invasion. The planet itself has a few seas, with arid Savannah and scattered mountains. T'au from this sept are considered especially learned and wise.

The only other couple of facts worth mentioning are that no alien has ever set foot on this planet, and that T'au has a moon named Lu'val, which they colonized, and that most new colonies base themselves upon this sept.

In acknowledgement of their devotion to the Greater Good and the patiently defensive behavior usually advocated by Ethereals, their Sept Tenet in 8e gives them 5+ in overwatch and when using the Greater Good ability.

==T'au'n==
The first colony the T'au ever developed, this sept and its planet specialize in [[Just As Planned|incredibly complicated plans]] as well as naval combat. They have the largest Air Caste stations and host the greatest number of Kor'vattra ships. T'au from this sept are considered pioneers and spacefarers.

Interestingly, this sept highly advocates the idea of having multiple weapons on a battlesuit, instead of just strapping on three melta guns and calling it a day.

==D'yanoi==
A tidally locked world that was separated from the Empire by [[Warp|unnatural space storms]]. As a result, they fell behind the rest of the Empire, and are considered rustic and backwards. Basically T'au rednecks.

Fluff indicates that D'yanoi was home to Reptilian beasts that would eat the colonists, indicating that it is very much close to a death world, and that Orks tend to roam the area, though they generally get their butts kicked by the bluies. They also tend to have an abnormally high numbers of Vespid allies in their Cadres due to the sept's proximity to the planet Vespid.

==Bork'an==
Probably one of the more prominent ones, this sept is the big research sector of the Empire. Warriors from here have fantastic weapons and are generally restrained in attitude. When training to use the KV-128 Stormsurge Battlesuits (aka BFG attached to legs), T'au will be sent here, where they must graduate from the academy in order to be allowed to use the Stormsurge with their partner.

To reflect their cutting-edge technology/craftsmanship, their Sept Tenet in 8e gives an extra 6" of range to their Rapid Fire and Heavy weapons, making their gunlines just that much scarier.

Originally, a race known as the Poctroon inhabited the planet, [[Ork Snipers|but they died off due to a plague, and the T'au took the planet after their species went extinct.]]

==Dal'yth==
This planet is where the T'au ground the Damocles Gulf Crusade into a stalemate. Originally, Dal'yth was a planet comprised originally of lush jungles and segmented beasts, but was forcibly tamed by the T'au until it essentially looked like Shanghai in speeeehhhhssss. Essentially, Dal'yth was OG T'au Vietnam.

As a result of all their time hunting in jungles and ambushing Ravenguard and Catachan, the T'au of Dal'yth have become excellent at camouflage and ambushes. This is reflected in their 8e Sept Tenet, [[Creed|the benefit of cover as long as they stand still]].

This extensive colonization sort of wrecked the native population, and now the planet is home to a pretty wide and diverse variety of xenos along with Water Caste T'au, who serve as cultural mediators and facilitate trade with off-worlders.

Dal'yth is also the birthplace of Commander [[Commander_Puretide|Puretide]]

==Fal'shia==
Fal'shia is the Tau version of a Forgeworld, but its sept is devoted to it. Fal'shia T'au are considered great problem solvers, and are the ones who generally fiddle with technology until they make it better than it was before. The Ad Mech could stand to learn a thing or two from this sept, if they weren't too busy blowing gaskets over the amount of tech '''HERESY''' present.

Also of interest is Commander Or'es'Ka-led warriors from here in the Kaurava campaign. Fire Warriors from Fal'shia willingly test new weapons, [[Plasma|even if it means they explode on their face and kill them,]] and otherwise closely resemble the Bork'an in demeanor.

==Vior'la==
Vior'la is the T'au version of Tatooine (T'autooine?). Colonists have to live in special domes because the planet is ravaged by plasma storms, and is in fact the way they once defeated an Ork invasion. T'au from here contrast with Bork'an mostly by being the hot-blooded anime protagonists. Breacher and Pathfinder teams tend to be popular here for these reasons. Vior'la is the Birthplace of Farsight, and is home to some of the most prominent Fire Caste academies.

One of the more derp stories for the T'au involve Vior'la and some World Eaters. Somehow, the [[RAGE|influence]] of Khorne was able to catch on with the Vior'la Fire Warriors, convincing them to break gunlines and enter close quarters combat with the World Eaters. Obviously, this cost the T'au ''very'' dearly. Some Ethereals were dispatched to deal with this, but the fact that this even happened is fucking stupid. Though Khorne does seem to take an interest in [[Farsight|T'au from Vior'la]], so... it’s stupid anyway. While T'au are not immune to Chaos—including a freaking Chaos God turning its gaze on them—this was often in individual T'au, not entire armies.

Still, despite this possible Khornate influence, their 8e Sept Tenet nonetheless focuses on shooting rather than melee by letting all their Rapid Fire weapons count as Assault, and removing the penalty for advancing and firing said Assault weapons. So while they don't do any better in close combat, they do at least get there faster, for [[skub|what it's worth]].

The 9th Edition Codex expanded on their aggressive tendencies further: Vior'lan implementations of the Patient Hunter philosophy overwhelmingly use crippled or cut-off hostile forces as a lure, and even the sept's Water Caste diplomats have a reputation across the Empire as something akin to a used car salesman.

==Sa'cea==
Sa'cea is a highly urbanized sept and the last sept of the First Sphere of Expansion. Before the world could be colonized, the T'au had to land forces to kill off flesh-eating predators. So in that regard it appears they learned from the D'yanoi affair.

Packed to the gills with more kids than they know what to do with, Sa'cea T'au sent off a ridiculous number of colonization fleets during the Second Sphere of Expansion. As a result, they're generally seen as stoic and honourable warriors.

On the tabletop, 8e a Sept Tenet that buffs their Leadership and lets them re-roll one hit per unit because they're just that cool under pressure.

==Au'taal==
Au'taal is basically a massive retirement villa. T'au from here tend to be regarded as lazy: this sept is where old heroes of the Empire would retire to if they survived long enough. Aun'shi was probably gonna end up here before he was reassigned to keep kicking ass, much to his chagrin.

Au'taal has a big fucking pile of guns, because defending old people is important and shit, and the fruits harvested from here tend to be used to trade with other races.

==N'dras==
N'dras has a moon, and an Ocean World, named Kvariam, which was invaded by the [[Space Wolves]] at some point. N'dras is considered a spooky and strange world, and most T'au don't like it, considering anyone from there to be untrustworthy, brooding, and quick tempered. Earth Caste scientists often require hefty protection from the Fire Caste when conducting experiments here.

It was all-but-abandoned by Ethereal decree, to serve as a secret testing location of the XV95 Ghostkeel battlesuits.

==Kel'shan==
Tau from the Kel'shan sept were one of the first attacks from the Dark Eldar arrived here. Then, they met the Death Guard. Oh, also the Imperium. Aaaaaand the 'Nids.

It used to have two other colonies in its borders, Sh'draig and Ka'mais, but both got nommed by the nids. Regardless, the sept has held on pretty well, able to beat them all back.

Essentially proto-4th sphere xenophobes, the surviving sept members are solemn and openly hostile and mistrustful of aliens. So, basically they’ve achieved something close to what passes as common sense in Warhammer 40,000.

They also spearheaded the development of the XV107 R'varna Battlesuit.

==Elsy'eir==
A T'au sept equivalent of theatre kids to Bork'an science nerds and Kel'shan DIY lunatics. They're generally seen as artistic and intellectual compared to the more applied sciences of other T'au worlds.

It has many moons, most of which are mined for valuable minerals to produce both regular battlesuits and the powerful XV104 Riptide. Production facilities are located here as well, making this a valuable region for the Empire.

==Tash'var==
A sept that have some of the best Razorshark pilots and Breacher teams in the Empire. T'au from here are said to be hardy, tenacious, and courageous. They have handled Ork invasions and raids, much like Kel'shan (but with less xenophobia).

They also have precious gems which they use to trade with other races in the galaxy.

==Vash'ya==
The last sept to be founded during the Second Sphere of Expansion, it was a barren world that was terraformed by the T'au to make it breathable again. The Air Caste settled into zero-G orbital settlements right away however and still make up a pretty sizable chunk of the sept. The vast network of orbital infrastructure over this world makes it an ideal hotspot to recruiting spaceship officers and crew.

Once, the Hrud invaded this world, but the T'au beat them away with some drones and remote control battlesuits. Why the T'au don't use these more often is a question which GW haven't yet seen fit to answer.

==T'olku==
T'olku is essentially a model sept designed to demonstrate the awesomeness of T'au'va to potential allies. As one would expect, it is the place where aliens are sent to learn about T'au culture. It also has large Ethereal temples, and was once visited by an Imperial Fist, who was there to try and delay the T'au from invading the world of Nimbosa through sneaky diplomacy.

As one would expect from an Imperial Fist, they failed hard.

==Ksi'm'yen==
Formerly an Imperial world, it was conquered by the T'au, and Gue'vesa who were here were evacuated to the middle of the Empire for their safety. Generally, considering what the Imperium [[BLAM|does]] to defectors, this was probably a good call.

Hilariously, the T'au captured a genestealer, then [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_Resurrection decided to experiment with it], until eventually a rebellion broke out, resulting in a decade long quarantine before an [[Genestealer|eccentric Ethereal]] declared the planet clean and productive in a move that is definitely not going to end badly (if GW ever remembers to progress this particular plotline).

==Fi'rios==
A former Ork world, these planets were wrested from them by the legendary Shas'O Kais and is a veritable fortress. However, fighting still occurs, but these T'au refuse to give up due to their tenacity and all out pure ballsiness that puts them leagues above other T'au.

==Mu'gulath Bay==
Destroyed during the Third Sphere of Expansion. Not much worth noting, except that the capital got an [[Exterminatus]] dropped on it, only for an Earth Caste shield generator to protect the T'au and their allies inside. Many of the survivors attempted to defect to the Farsight Enclaves, but most were killed by loyalist T'au forces.

Mu'gulath Bay was the last—and greatest—failure of the Third Sphere of Expansion.

==Fe'saan==
It is described as a beautiful world in the Nem'yar Atoll, and is home to most of the T'au administrative operations in the region. The Water and Air Castes maintain significant assets here.

The world was first colonized by Survivors of the Fourth Sphere of Expansion, and later further developed by Fifth Sphere T'au.

==Kor'tal==
Another Death World that the T'au colonized. This sept specializes in producing and collecting dark matter from an orbiting black hole which is used in industrial and military assets, the most notable of these being the reactors for XV104 Riptide Battlesuits.

==Yo'Vai==
A curious sept that literally has a giant fucking Halo ring, except that it is just a landmass with a breathable atmosphere. The Earth Caste continues to debate what it is and how it formed, though the most widely accepted one is that it was some ancient terraforming technology.

Fire Caste tank pilots and Air Caste pilots from around the atoll usually train here.

{{40k-Planets}}

[[Category:Tau]]

Rule 34

2022-07-20T09:32:23Z

2001:8003:1C20:8C00:D5C9:8659:B360:48D6: >Censoring shit on a website dedicated to a NSFW Japanese Hentai Forum

{{Promotions}}
{{Heresy}}
[[Image:Rule34.gif|thumb|right|Why, yes there is a porn version of this image. '''''No Exceptions''''']]

'''''<big>"If it exists, there is porn of it."</big>''''' 
'''''<big>"No exceptions."</big>'''''

'''Rule 34''': There is porn of it. Yes, even of that. No, you don't want to think about this for too long. Even your mom, trust me.
It goes without saying that [[Warhammer 40,000]] is, like all things, completely subject to the many creative variations of Rule 34 that the Internet can [[furries|conjure]]. It also goes without saying that the contents of this page (actually, the contents of [[rape|many pages around here]]) are rather [[NSFW]]. Ironically, [[/tg/]] is supposedly a safe-for-work board, but this isn't a guideline that is obeyed rigidly. On any day you can be browsing /tg/ when suddenly you get a faceful of [[Eldar]] porn, including some that might even be well-drawn.

On that note... don't read the article on [[FATAL]].

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:JackChick34.JPG|[[Dark Dungeons]].
Image:Kroot porn.JPG|Canonical [[Kroot]] porn.
Image:Baldurs_34.jpg|[[Baldur's Gate|Nothing is sacred]].
Image:Rule34ofrule34.jpg|[[Recursion|Rule 34 of Rule 34]].
Image:Fallout.gif|[[Fallout|Vault Boy getting blown]].
Image:Thri-kreen strip.gif|Even [[Thri-Kreen Erotica|Thri-kreen]].
Image:1217570918394.jpg|Local [[user:37|scribblefag]] provides /34/ for [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition|4th edition]].
File:Sisters of repentia sisters of battle Adepta Sororitas rule 34 montage can't believe how hard fetish rule 34 Warhammer 40k myoc redux.jpg|You'd totally hit it and you know it.
File:Hello exterminatus Warhammer 40k sister of battle rule 34.jpg|The Adepta Sororitas sure like to go out with a BANG!
File:Notheresy.jpg|Good news, citizens of the Imperium! Rule 34 is NOT always heresy!
File:Warhammer 40k rule 34 heresy daemon babes of chaos.jpg|No exceptions. ESPECIALLY in the Immaterium.
File:Heresy-explained2.jpg|[[xenos|Xeno]] vagina? Xeno vagina. Good, I want to fuck an [[eldar|eldar]]
File:Inquisitor daemonette transform.gif|In the grim darkness of the far future... no fetish is overlooked. (Animated!)
File:1230051355300.gif|And what would Rule 34 be without our ever-loving space nuns, the [[Sisters of Battle]]? (Animated!)
File:tg board 100 percent worksafe nsfw irony lulz.png|Remember, kids! /tg/ is a work-safe board!
</gallery>

==See Also==
*[[NSFW]]
*[[PROMOTIONS]]
*[[FATAL]]
*[[Monstergirls]]
*[[Slaanesh]] ''(self explanatory)''
*[[Sisters of Battle]] ''(also mostly self explanatory)''
*[https://rule34porn.net Rule 34] ''(Website)''

[[Category:Meme]][[Category:NSFW]]