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Bretonnia

2022-09-06T04:36:41Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:6D3E:5735:CBBE:C0F8: /* Special Characters */

[[Image:Bretonnia Cover.png|thumb|300px|right|KNIGHTS KNIGHTS CHIVALRY HORSES KNIGHTS]]
{{topquote|Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright, that God may love thee. Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong; that is your oath.|Godfrey of Ibelin, ''Kingdom of Heaven''}}
{{topquote|We have political systems like this in the Empire. We call them 'protection rackets'.|Matthias von Pfeildorf, former Imperial Envoy to Couronne.}}
{{topquote|Help! Help! I'm being repressed!|Dennis the Constitutional Peasant, Monty Python and the Holy Grail}}

'''Bretonnia''' is one of the main factions in [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]. It is a human nation roughly modelled on a combination of medieval France, a tiny pinch of England and every medieval tale of chivalry ever (especially the legends of King Arthur). At a glance, they could easily be [[Games Workshop]]'s least creative race, in any game, ever. And yes, that includes <s>[[Judge Dredd]]</s> [[Adeptus Arbites]]. One of their special characters is called [[The Green Knight]], and their goddess is the Lady of the Lake (later revealed to also be part of the Elven pantheon). Even the name of the kingdom is derived from Britannia (Roman Empire-ruled Britain) and Brittany (part of northwestern France). It's pretty lazy, all things considered.

However, it is still inventive in one way: In Bretonnia, the ideals of medieval chivalry and high honour is presented side-by-side with horrible, almost hilarious black-comedy level of oppressive government. The greatest heroic knights could also at the same time be the sort of charmer who worries about soiling their poulaines while stepping over starving peasant orphans, and your armies will be made of equal parts saintly knightly warriors and wretched peasants who get sent to die in droves in the name of feudal responsibilities. It's gotten to the point where a large part of the charm of Bretonnia is in its black comedy value, in terms of social commentary.

At least for some people anyway, and in a particular edition. Like with most Warhammer lore post-[[shitstorm|End Times]], there's a significant fan divide between which "version" of lore is best, with the main contenders for Bretonnia being 5th edition - written by Nigel Stillman - and 6th edition - written by Anthony Reynolds. Stillman's take on Bretonnia was significantly lighter than that of Reynolds, with a more generic Arthurian kingdom but lacking in what many called [[grimderp]] lore decisions by Reynolds; on the other hand, defenders of the latter say Stillman's was lacking in realism, and Reynolds' is more interesting. Basically, 5th edition fans argue 6th's tone is too dark and that's bad, while 6th edition fans argue 5th's tone is too bright and that's bad. It's an argument that's been going on for over 15 years, and no one on either side's likely to change their mind any time soon.

Bretonnian armies basically consist of [[knight]]s. Lots and lots of knights. And everyone, from the lowliest Knight Errant to the living-god Grail Knights, rides the same. Damn. Horse. Except for the ones that ride [[Pegasus|Pegasi]]. There are also some lowly, filthy peasants that support the knights (by which we mean they're ''very cost-effective'' meatshields).

The army is currently very old and very out of date, although still readily available, there are some rumours concerning them though. This is unfortunate since WFB 8th edition [[nerf]]ed cavalry pretty hard. They're still workable, but they're hurting pretty badly. Some denizens of /tg/ argue that Bretonnia should just be [[squat]]ted, as they don't have anything over any other army. Seriously, the Empire (ostensibly an infantry-based army) has better cavalry than these guys.

For what it's worth, they're still a major player in the fluff, arguably sharing the "protagonist" stage with the Empire (or at least being the co-star) in the Glottkin End Times book, though the plot material of "Thanquol" seems to have finally done in the nation as an independent entity.

As of March 26th, 2016, the entire Bretonnian range has been added to Games Workshop's 'Last Chance to Buy' section, so it seems like the Brets are finally gone for good. Though due to the aforementioned fading relevance as an army, lack of creativity and stand-out characters, some actually arguing for squatting, and all that even before the End Times and Age of Sigmar, few can honestly say they didn’t see this coming. Compared to Tomb Kings, outrage over the loss seems to be rather lukewarm. But maybe this was because the Tomb Kings were the first to get axed, and one of GW's more creative races to boot, whereas the Bretonnians were designed by watching Excalibur and moulding one horse. Some may say it's also because the Tomb Kings were more popular than the Brets but that's [[Skub|subjective]].

==History==
Long before the land now known as Bretonnia was founded, it was inhabited by the Lizardmen, but they were driven back by Chaos; later, the High Elves from Ulthuan created a vortex to keep the demons at bay, and settled on most of the non-mountainous regions in the Old World. Since the region of soon-to-be-Bretonnian is the only Old World region closest to Ulthuan([[Athel Loren|that and because the Elves' favorite tree friend lives in that region as well]]), it was colonized the most, and its capital city in the Old World: '''Tor Alessi''' (soon to be '''L'Anguille''') was built there for the Elves to govern their other Old World's settlements from there. But then the <s>[[War of the Beard]]</s> War of Vengeance happened, and the land became a major battlefield between the Dwarves and High Elves. The conflict weakened the High Elves so much that '''Caradryel''', the successor Phoenix King, ordered the retreat of all High Elves back to Ulthuan. Some High Elves refused, and moved in to live with their aforementioned tree friends' forest and became the [[Wood Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|Wood Elves]]. With no Elves in sight, humans began to settle the land. It was first inhabited by some pagan hippies who play with rocks(aka pacifist tribe who worships '''[[Rhya]]'''). Then the Bretonnian's ancestor: The '''Bretonni''' tribe, arrived to their future homeland after fighting through the [[Worlds Edge Mountains]] against a bunch of Greenskins and other rival human tribes, and conquered the aforementioned pansy-pacifist tribe. These Bretonni were of similar martial prowess to the Unberogen (Sigmar's tribe), who fought both humans and orcs on daily basis and managed to avoid going extinct. Like every human tribe, the Bretonni were given an invitation by Sigmar to be [[the Empire|united as a whole]], but they refused and chose to keep to themselves because they were pretty much a mockery of the real-life French stereotype and believed through sheer arrogance that their culture was inherently superior. Seriously, the Bretonni are a backward medieval stasis tribe that couldn't even evolve to use metalwork without consulting Dwarves who lived in nearby mountains.

The Bretonni were later raided by a clusterfuck of nearby Orc WAAARGH, in addition to Tomb kings led by [[Settra the Imperishable|Settra]](who was after the lost shiny bling stolen from his kingdom). Unable to properly unite to face the threats, the Bretonnis were facing annihilation (much thanks to the sheer arrogance towards Sigmar that led to their doom). But an awesome guy named '''Giles Le Breton''' rallied every Bretonni warrior he could find, including his best friends Duke '''Thierulf d'Lyonesse''' and Duke '''Landuin d'Mousillon''', to fight the Orc menace. Still, they failed due to the horde's size and were forced to retreat to a nearby forest. Wandering wearily in the forest, Giles stopped to drink from a lake and found himself watched over by a strange woman of ethereal form: the Lady of the Lake. Le Breton, facing desperation and madness, asked this Lady to bless him with strength and he was fully restored. Duke Thierulf d'Lyonesse and Duke Landuin d'Mousillon did the same thing, and the three of them became <s>Lileath's puppet</s> the first three Grail Knights.

With the power to finally pull some awesome ass-kicking, Giles and his tribe kicked the shit out of the [[Orcs]], returned to their settlement, united the Bretonni tribesmen under one banner, and founded "Bretonnia," with their benefactor the Lady of the Lake as the centre of their newly created society.

After the unification, Breton was dubbed the "Uniter" and became the first Royarch. Unfortunately, Breton was killed (or we thought) by a cunning git with SpearChukas in one of his many campaigns against the Greenskin. His son '''Louis the Rash''' was then crowned the king, and founded the Questing Knight tradition. Many evils like the Tomb Kings and Greenskins were pushed out of the borders of Bretonnia during this time.

There were invasions from Araby where they invaded '''Estalia'''. Estalia were desperate, so they sought help from Bretonnia and many Empire provinces. A combined holy crusade of Bretonnia and the Empire was formed to kick them back to their sandy home.

After that, a joint army of undead led by '''[[Heinrich Kemmler]]''' and '''[[Krell]]''' plus the Skaven invaded but was crushed after the Skaven ran away with their tails between their legs in the middle of the fight.

During the End Times, it was revealed that the Lady of the Lake was indeed the elven goddess [[Lileath]]. The Bretonnians present during this revelation abandoned her, but through some convoluted nonsense <s>all Grail Knights and Damsels are saved in a new World, the "Haven" and probably live untainted from chaos as immortal rulers of a new Bretonnia (HURRAH!). BUT Bel'akor found out and smothered it in its crib, dooming everyone in there (hurroo...).</s> It was later mentioned that they may have simply lost contact with this Haven, as the Warhammer World was becoming increasingly saturated with Chaos.

==Geography==
The Kingdom of Bretonia is located to the West of the Empire with the Grey Mountains acting as a natural border between the two. Located to the East of Bretonia and West of the Grey Mountains lies the forest of Athel Loren, inhabited by the Wood Elves. They enjoy coming and murdering peasants in Quenelles every Springtime. South of Bretonia is [[Estalia]] and the Vaults Mountain Range. To the West of Bretonia is the Great Ocean and Ulthuan. To the North is the Island of Albion and Norsca.

Within the Kingdom itself lie multiple dukedoms. These are each ruled by a Duke, who has to have at least become a Knight of the Realm.

* '''Couronne''' - Located to the North of Bretonia and bordering the Wasteland and the Sea of Claws. Its lands lend themselves to horse-breeding, and has the best horses in all of Bretonia, no mean feat. Due to being more horse crazy than a [[Furry]] at a brony con, even the peasants ride horses, even if they don't own them per se. Currently the ruling Dukedom of Bretonia.
**'''Castle Couronne''' – The ducal capital of Couronne, famous for being the capital and seat of power of Louen Leoncoeur, current Royarch of Bretonnia. Also host to Brettonia's most famous tournament grounds, The Lion Ring, where nobles race their horses and participate in jousts and melee. Also home to the largest temple of Shallya, which houses a healing spring inside.

* '''L'Anguille''' - Bordering Couronne and Lyonesse, it is one of the smallest Dukedoms. Known primarily for coastal trade. There are no cities beyond Castle L'Anguille, as both Castle L'Anguille and Castle Couronne are so close so as to be impossible to compete with.
**'''Castle L'Anguille''' – Originally founded by the High Elves back when they were colonising the Old World, and originally called Tor Alessi. The most impressive and enduring building from this time is the Great Lighthouse, which rises to be 300 feet tall. The main castle itself lies on an island in the middle of the harbour.

* '''Lyonesse''' - This Dukedom lies upon the north-western shores of Bretonnia. One of the larger Dukedoms following its annexation of Mousillon several centuries earlier, the lands of Lyonesse are infamously known for their rivalry with not other Bretonnian realms, but amongst their own nobility. The main divide in Lyonen politics is that between the north and the south. Whilst the southern nobles were happy to be liberated from the rule of the mad and bloodthirsty Dukes of Mousillon, they were less happy when the Lyonen claimed many prime fiefs and proceeded to keep the “Old Mousillese” out of the corridors of power. Any attempts to work as a bloc are undermined by the feuds that exist between the Old Mousillese, but they do believe that they should work together to claim their rightful place.
**'''Castle Lyonnesse''' – One of the smallest Ducal Capitals in Brettonia, it is built into the walls of the very coast itself. According to folk tales, the inhabitants angered Mannan, who proceeded to flood the city leaving only the castle of the virtuous lord intact. Whatever the truth held in the story, adventurers have found ruins and golden items on the surrounding coast.

* '''Mousillon''' - A former Dukedom that has now been mostly absorbed into Lyonesse. It is the smallest and poorest of Brettonia's Dukedoms. It is filled with swamps and bogs, and the inhabitants are mainly inbred mutants. The Dukedom has become a haven for Vampires, witches, and other ne'er-do-wells who prey on the remaining peasantry. Currently unofficially ruled by Mallobaude.

* '''Artois''' - The only Dukedom to be completely covered in forest, Artois has a bit of a [[furry|Beastmen]] problem. It is common for newly anointed Knights of the Realm to be given a large portion of land in Artois. If they succeed in taming it, a new bastion has been established against the chaotic braying hordes. If not, then nothing of value was really lost. As a result, there are large amounts of ruins dotting the forest landscape.
**'''Castle Artois''' – Notable for being the only Ducal Capital without an accompanying city/village surrounding it. The building is simply a large fortress, used as a staging post by the Duke to return to after hunting beastmen.

* '''Gisoreux''' - This Dukedom lies within the treacherous slopes of the Pale Sisters and upon the low woodlands of the Arden Forest. Unlike in other parts of Bretonnia, where much of the land is one type of landscape and one type of people, the diversity in the geography of this Dukedom has also created diversity in cultures and customs. Those living within the arable plains to the south contain the typical farmers and peasants that are universal within all the realms. To the east, the lands are filled with harsh woodlands, where different people live life as expert trappers and wild woodsmen. Finally, to the north, those people that can eke out a living within the Pale Sisters are seasoned mountaineers who can brave harsh conditions.
**'''Castle Gisoreux''' – The city of Gisoreux is a busy place filled with traders and travellers. There are more Imperial merchants in Gisoreux than in any other city in Bretonnia, and it may be the only place in the world where people do not immediately think of sailors when they think of Marienburg; a number of land traders come from the Wasteland through the Gisoreux Gap. The city has fine merchant houses pressed right up against decaying slums, many of which used to be fine merchant houses. For some reason, merchant families in Gisoreux rarely maintain their prosperity for more than one generation. The castle itself is currently almost entirely abandoned, as the ruling Duke spends most of his time in Couronne. Only one wing is currently inhabited by the Duke's Steward.
**''' The Gisoreux Gap''' - One of only three locations within the entire Grey Mountains that allow passage between Bretonnia and the Empire.

* '''Bordeleaux''' - Known as the largest exporter of wines within the entire Kingdom, Bordeleaux is a beautiful land filled with many farms and vineyards. Such is the Dukedom's reputation for wine that even peasants and nobles alike are given the luxury of drinking it on a consistent basis. Being one of the few coastal Dukedoms, Bordeleaux has also a tradition of seafaring similar to L'Anguille. This has resulted in fierce competition over the sea trade and sea routes that link the large port-cities together, such as Marienburg and Erengrad to the north and Barak Varr and the Tilea city-states to the south. Unlike L'Anguille, the coastline is not treacherous to navigate, and as such many small cities and villages also act as trading ports.
**'''Castle Bordeleaux''' – A vast and rich city filled with almost every nationality in the Old World. It contains the First Chapel, the holiest of sites in the cult of the Lady. However, the most important temple to the Bordeliens is that of Manann, which is not exactly in the city. Rather, it is housed in an enormous ship, permanently moored near the entrance to the harbour. It is exposed to storms, but the priests say that Manann protects it, and it has survived for many years. Worshippers travel out by boat, and if possible they are supposed to help row or sail across. Grail Knights, Damsels and Prophetesses of the Lady are forbidden to set foot on board. Duke Alberic, the current Duke, is the first Duke of Bordeleaux in generations to visit the temple.

* '''Aquitaine''' - A pretty peaceful kingdom in the big scheme of things, and actually a pretty nice place to live in the Warhammer world. It is nothing but rolling hills and farms, punctuated with small woods and small castles of the nobility. It hasn't got any internal invaders like Orcs or Beastmen, and as such on the whole is a pretty nice place. This lack of external enemies has caused the leading nobility to turn to internal division, with small battles and wars being constant with the feuding of the leading knights. With no natural defences or trade routes, the dukedom itself doesn't have much in the way of riches or extremely defensible areas.
**'''Castle Aquitaine''' – A fairly small Ducal capital. It is famous for the Lace Tower, a tall spire built with so many windows that it looks as though it is made from stone lace. Uniquely amongst the capitals of Bretonnia, Castle Aquitaine is in fact the second keep to bear its name, standing exactly twelve miles from the ruins of the original fortress. The old castle had been used by the Red Duke, and when he was defeated King Louis the Righteous ordered the old castle razed and a new fortress-city built far away from the original site.

* '''Bastonne''' - Bastonne was at one time the very heart of all Bretonnia, its founding Duke being none other than Gilles le Breton, first Royarch of Bretonnia. It is in many ways the spiritual heart of the Kingdom, for the Cathedral of the Cult of the Lady is situated within the walls of Castle Bastonne. It is also said that the Sacred Lake where Gilles and his Companions first met the Lady, can be found somewhere deep within Bastonne's Forest of Châlons. The Chapel of Bastonne also houses the very codes of chivalry created by Gilles' son, Louis the Rash.
**'''Castle Bastonne''' – The town has the feel of somewhere preserved for the pilgrim trade, and it is a very popular destination. Peasant pilgrims are guided to the outside of a number of significant locations and to the inside of taverns that pay the guide a cut. Nobles can expect a personal tour, including opportunities to pray within most places. At a minimum, visiting nobles go to Gilles' personal Grail Chapel, and almost all Grail Knights have visited it at least once. The largest revered structure is the Water Tower in Castle Bastonne. This was reputedly Gilles' personal residence. Most nobles are not allowed to go beyond the entrance lobby, and peasants can be whipped for looking at it too much.
**'''Black Chasm''' - A giant hole in the ground, from which mysterious vapours rise periodically. Home to the [[Skaven]] of Clan Pestilens, it is here that they released the Red Pox onto the kingdom of Brettonia. Currently, the Skaven are stuck in a war between Clan Pestilens and Clan Flem against Clans Eshin and Moulder for control of the pit and any treasures that lay within.

* '''Montfort''' - the Dukedom of Montfort acts as the central buffer state between the lands of Bretonnia and those within the Empire of Man. Almost all of Montfort lies within the Grey Mountains, with what little arable land being devoted totally to agriculture.
**'''Castle Montfort''' – This Ducal capital guards the Brettonian end of Axe Bite Pass. It displays one of the finest examples of fortification within the Old World, five tiers of stone walls guard the pass at the western-most end, another just slightly smaller fortress-garrison town sits at the pass's eastern end as well. The city is primarily a trade centre charging a toll upon all who enter through the gates of the pass, going both ways, even its own citizens. It is claimed Montfort's original foundation was Dwarfen, abandoned either during or soon after the War of the Beard.
**'''Axe Bite Pass''' – At either end of the sheer-sided valley stands a mighty fortress, spanning the gap. On the Bretonnian side is Castle Montfort; on the Empire side is Helmgart. Countless battles have been fought in the valley between the two castles.

* '''Parravon''' - Forming one of the three ducal barriers between the lands of the Empire and other Ducal lands, Parravon commands the southern territories centred around the Grey Lady Pass, one of three routes that allow trade between Bretonnia and the Empire. Just like the Dukedoms of Montfort and Gisoreux, the Dukedom of Parravon lies almost exclusively upon the rocky peaks of the southern Grey Mountains, with what little flatland being devoted to agriculture. As such, many of Parravon's castles are built upon cliffs and peaks amongst the mountain range. Such a high altitude has ensured that Parravon is particularly noted for having a large number of Pegasi and Pegasus Knights amongst their ranks. In fact, they are known for their founding Duke befriending Glorfinial, lord and sire of all Royal Pegasus.
**'''Castle Parravon''' – Famous for being carved directly from the rock of the mountain, Parravon is the only city in Bretonnia with a substantial population of Dwarfs. There are now some Dwarf families who have lived there for generations, though they still keep themselves somewhat apart from the Human citizens. Bretonnia’s sumptuary laws state only nobles can use stone in buildings. However, the Dukes of Parravon have never wanted wooden buildings messing up their glorious city, so they have long maintained that a peasant living in a carved stone building is no different from a peasant living in a cave. Actually, given the quality of many peasant homes in Parravon, the difference really is minimal.

* '''Quenelles''' - Quenelles is the largest of the dukedoms of Bretonnia, stretching over most of the middle of the land. Between the Massif Orcal and the River Gilleau is a part of the Forest of Châlons. This area seems almost completely free of monsters: one or two small groups of Beastmen or Orcs are seen in a year. Small groups of hunters, charcoal burners, or woodsmen can work in the forest unmolested. All attempts to establish villages have failed, ending in the complete destruction of the village. [[Wood_Elves_(Warhammer_Fantasy)|The village is replaced, overnight, by a bare depression in the soil, as if something had scooped up the entire settlement and taken it away.]] The southwest of Quenelles was once, before the founding of Bretonnia, the land of Cuileux. The knights of Cuileux were wiped out by Goblins and their lands absorbed by Quenelles. However, the courage of the last stand of the Cuilen has made them legendary. A large area is known as the Grave of Cuileux and is not farmed.
**'''Castle Quenlles''' – The City of Quenelles sits right on the border of Athel Loren. Indeed, the walls do not guard the eastern edge of the city: instead, the walls run up to the trees and stop. A broad stone road runs along the border of the forest. This used to be the eastern wall, but it was cut down over a thousand years ago at the command of the Wood Elves.
**'''Massif Orcal''' – A large desolate place that only Greenskins call home. Ruined watchtowers dot the landscape. No mineral wealth or plants grow on this desolate place.

* '''Brionne''' - Being surrounded by powerful allies and far away from major threats, Brionne is famous for its beautiful and tranquil landscape, second only to its brethren within Aquitaine itself. Brionne is famous for its emphasis on making everything, from mighty castles to small towns as clean and beautiful as possible. [[Derp|This beauty comes at the cost of practicality and common sense. They build mighty castles are beautiful in style but horrible at their purpose.]]
**'''Castle Brionne''' – Unlike the rest of Brionne, the architects of this castle combined beauty with functionality, being incredibly aesthetically pleasing whilst also good at its job of being a fort. It also contains the Hall of Minstrels, a building with perfect acoustics that always has minstrels performing no matter the time of day or night.

* '''Carcassone''' - A highly marshalled Dukedom, even in comparison to other Bretonnian Dukedoms, Carcassonne is a heavily militarized land that focuses its efforts on eradication of the Greenskin tribes that infest the Irrana Mountains in its southern border, especially the Iron Orcs, a subspecies of Orc even tougher than Black Orcs but stupider than Savage Orcs, who have iron armor as a part of their body.
**'''Castle Carcassone''' – Castle Carcassonne stands on an island surrounded by the River Songez, the westernmost of the tributaries of the River Brienne that lie wholly within the dukedom. The attached town is small and exists to provide services to a large number of "[[Dogs_of_War|shepherd]]" companies who come to the castle to take jobs with the Duke.

==Culture==
[[Knight|KNIGHTS]]. Want something besides knights? BETTER KNIGHTS. Seriously. If there was a culture in the Old World that was more of a one-trick pony, (HA!) then the Bretonnians would probably declare a crusade for cramping their style. Bretonnian culture is all about fancy soldiers on fancy horses making fancy war. Based on the WHFRPG splatbook on the place, Bretonnia loves horses more than is strictly sane. Even peasants at least know how to ride and there's an entire sub-breed of horses designed to be easily ridden and cheaply fed, like a medieval Honda Civic. One of the most common punishments for nobles who manage to commit a crime serious enough for anyone to care is to be forced to ride in a carriage rather than on a horse like a manly man.

Outside of horses and the people with sharp metal that ride them, pretty much any French stereotype you can think of will probably be accurate aside from surrendering. They like fancy cheese, they like wine and they never use one vowel when five will work. The splatbook also says they like truffles. So much so that they breed a special truffle hound for finding them. There's a highly suspect bit (from the 2e Warhammer RPG sourcebook on Bretonnia) that says that once a Bretonnian truffle hound gets a taste of some, he'll go psycho-territorial and try to bite off the junk of anyone nearby. Sadly no game rules exist (yet) to allow Emperor Karl Franz to lose his Sausage of Sigmar to a horny dog.

Ironically, Bretonnians actually changed quite drastically between editions before being all but abandoned. The original rendition of Bretonnians, before they became the "Chivalric Romance Knights In Shining Armor" faction was basically the French under Louis XVI - incredibly corrupt, self-centred aristocrats (with a massive problem with [[Slaanesh]] cults) ruling over dirty, downtrodden peasants. And, well, the abysmal lot of the peasants remained, but the aristocrats themselves got polished up brighter, to try and present a more sympathetic/heroic interpretation of them. Further, with the introduction of the [[Herrimault]] (aka Merrymen), you essentially have men in <s>tights</s> [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G59JnM4JKNQ&t=1s <s>TIGHT tights</s>]] ''hoodies'' running around fucking the more tyrannical nobles, that is, except when Chaos comes around, at which point Robin Hood fights alongside King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. Just long enough to avoid execution, presumably by truffle hound.

Aside from being strictly feudal, the biggest difference between Bretonnians and the Empire is that the Bretons worship mainly a single deity; the [[Lady of the Lake]], a mystical woman who gave their first ruler the power to forge the united kingdom of Bretonnia. They do pay homage to other gods and in fact, have the seat of power of the cult of Shallya, it's just that those gods are significantly less important and are only called upon when the Bretonnians need something from them. Editions have insinuated to varying degrees that the Lady of the Lake may, in fact, actually be a Wood Elf mage and that the Wood Elves are secretly manipulating the entire Bretonnian culture to use them as expendable pawns. This is why, for example, they are subtly biased against the higher technologies used in the Empire, which would make them more inclined to cut down [[Athel Loren]] for firewood.

==Knightly Hierarchy==
*'''Knights Errant:''' You thought you started your career as being a squire? Nope. Nobles who are old enough to wear their armour and sit on a horse are designated as Knights Errant and told to go off and earn glory however they can. Usually by dying. Of course, a few Knights Errant manage to survive, which earns them the rank of...
*'''Knights of the Realm:''' Your basic knight. Someone who's gotten some combat experience and respect already, they're given a bit of land to look after and some peasants to work it. This is often as far as anyone will go, unless they're obscenely rich or lucky, in which case they become...
**'''Pegasus Knights''': Though not technically higher in rank than Knights of the Realm, these guys are fuck-off rich/batshit crazy enough to afford/find and tame a giant, bloodthirsty flying horse instead of your garden variety land-bound kind. Bretonnians are not known to be exactly healthy when it comes to their love of horses, but it gets really insane with the winged ones: peasants can't even touch the animals, and one of the dukes actually killed any peasant that looked at his steed. Ferrari's owner bullshit all around, gentlemen!
*'''Questing Knights:''' For any number of reasons, a knight may give up all his lands and titles (like a [[Slayer]]), lay down his lance, vow to seek honour and greatness above all else (like a [[Slayer]]), and become a Questing Knight. These guys spend the next 10 years or so wandering around the world (like a [[Slayer]]), looking for the Lady of the Lake while slaying big, nasty stuff along the way (like a [[Slayer]]). Most die. Horribly, alone, and far from home (like a [[Slayer]]). Fortunately, they all carry giant weapons (mostly greatswords), so their death is guaranteed to have a minimum amount of win (like a [[Slayer]]). But, if they are skilled, heroic, and lucky enough, they can succeed in their quest (''unlike'' a [[Slayer]]); they find the correct Lake and meet the Green Knight. If they manage to defeat him, they get to see the Lady, drink some Powerthirst from the grail, and become...
*'''Grail Knights:''' The living gods of Bretonnia, they get to live for several hundred years and kick all kinds of ass. All kings have to drink from the grail, which means that unlike in '''other nations''' there is ''always'' a badass in charge. In fluff Grail knights can have all sorts of awesome powers, from killing evil creatures with a touch to healing wounds almost instantly, but on the table, all they get is magical attacks (except for the king, he also gets regeneration). Apparently, even their rotten and dried out corpses keeps some sort of magical powers and divine protection, considering that grail reliquae are a thing.

Questing Knights and Grail Knights are technically outside the usual hierarchy (with the exception of the Grail Knights who decide to regain all their titles after completing their quest, as all kings do) but, especially in the case of the latter, their word carries great weight, because they are closer to the Lady of the Lake than all others (with the exception of damsels and prophetesses of the lady, the magic-users of Bretonnia). Knights also tend to have a superiority complex that would put most high elves to shame, which means that no Questing Knight would allow himself to be directly led by a Knight of the Realm and Grail Knights only accept other Grail Knights as leaders (usually the king or a duke). Knights that actually deign to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with peasants are so rare they are considered exemplars of empathy.

Incidentally, there's only one restriction on being a Duke or lord of Bretonnia: you have to have proved yourself first. That is, you have to be at least a Knight of the Realm, but after that, it really doesn't matter. It's worth mentioning, too, that you don't inherit solely based on your parentage. If you're at least slightly capable, you'll inherit, but if a lord's son is a complete pussy, someone else will take over. This at least prevents the similar issues faced by planetary lords in the Imperium in 40k then, as this acts to weed out at least the worst of the worst (if not all the worst).

==Peasants==
It's not easy being a [[peasant]] in Bretonnia. Peasants can only ever keep one-tenth of what they earn, which means that either peasants earn a lot or they are all, in fact, undead, which would explain their lack of skill at arms; otherwise they wouldn't have enough to sustain themselves. The other 90% goes to the Knights and Nobles, and any leftovers they have go back to the peasants. The splatbook for playing the first edition of the WHFB RPG in Bretonnia would go on to clarify this a little: as a peasant, your lord does indeed take 90% of your harvest, but then redistributes part of it back to you so you can survive (sort of). It's also said that some lords classify the harvest as 'weeding' meaning the peasants get to keep the 'weeds'. He's probably still going to give you just enough to survive and don't think just because you grew something really nice he's not just going to give you a bag of low-quality grain and some knight spit to cook it in. So basically feudalism with a nice big flavouring of Stalin-era socialism. The reason for this "Giving nine-tenths of everything you grow to your lord" lore error actually comes from a myth of the real-life Medieval peasantry, which has been perpetuated by [[Games Workshop|people who don't fucking check their sources, or bother to apply logic or reason to anything they read.]]

If you are a peasant, you also live in complete filth with other peasants in disgusting holdings and you can't ever change your miserable position<ref>Technically the King or the Fay Enchantress, the hot female pope of the Lady, can raise you to nobility, but this has only happened thrice in all history of Bretonnia (one case was a peasant named Huebald who saved a noblewoman from Beastmen; he was killed in his first battle, the second was [[Repanse de Lyonesse]] AKA Joan of Ark), and your children will still be peasants. It's also possible that pretentious nobles will dislike the upstarts and arrange for them to not survive their first battle, like poor Huebald.</ref>. But hey, things are not so bad, you can always join your Lord's men-at-arms and receive enough shinies to set you for life! Or so they told you at the time, but they forgot to mention that you had to pay for all your equipment, so you were left with squat. Still, if you work hard enough, you might become a yeoman, which may earn you the privilege of riding the retarded/maimed horses no noble would dare to look at.

Naturally, under such conditions, many peasants simply snap. Some become bandits, but those who do not wish to be hunted down for the rest of their likely short lives instead find a ragtag band of other loonies, a dead grail knight and a pointy stick to become pilgrims, hoping to earn the blessing of the Lady (usually reserved only for nobles) by fighting for truth, justice and the Bretonnian way while carrying the dead knight around. If there is no dead grail knight around, I am sure that one over there won't recover from his wounds... (don't confound them for flagellants though. Pilgrims are known to cause unrest and be coward enough to run when things look really bad, so they are not as fanatical as they want for you to believe)

The 2nd edition [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]] splatbook dedicated to Bretonnia, "Knights of the Grail", provides a lot more of a look at the peasant lifestyle, and expands upon the details a lot. In particular, because peasants (often quite rightly) don't trust their local lords not to resolve peasant disputes in the most brutally expedient manner possible, they tend to cover up their problems and try to resolve them purely amongst themselves. This usually works, but it also reinforces the fiction that the peasants actually are a happy, contented lot who live idyllic lives... aka, the complete rubbish that the vast majority of Bretonnian nobles genuinely believe because they've been spoonfed that crap their whole lives. When peasant revolts ''do'' happen, and we're told they're not that rare, this contributes to why the nobles put them down so harshly; because the uprising only happens as a last resort when the peasants just can't take it anymore, the nobles usually have no idea ''why'' it's happening - to them, it just sees to come out of nowhere, and this supports their narrative that peasant uprisings are caused by greed or base ingratitude.

Ironically, although the nobles typically blame foreign agitators for these outbursts of revolutionary sentiment, the truth is that the most common cause (other than just the nobles being assholes) is... nobles stirring up the peasants of a rival noble's land to distract their forces so the agitating noble can more easily conquer their rival. It's actually noted that foreign powers who ''do'' want to weaken Bretonnia have far more effective means than just agitating a bunch of feeble peasants. Of course, [[Chaos]] likes to stick a tentacle in when it has the opportunity, and Chaos-backed revolts are noted as extremely dangerous, far more so than usual - ordinary peasants may easily fall before the armoured might of Bretonnian knights, but a vengeful horde of mutants, often supplemented by [[beastmen]] and [[warlock]]s? That's a whole different story!

==Suddenly, Total War==
Although the Bretonnians got [[squat]]ted twice over (first by being removed from the game, and then by [[Age of Sigmar | the entire game being removed from the game]]), they've recently got a new lease on life from their appearance in [[Total War: WARHAMMER]], where they're not only playable, but also get entirely new units that they never had in tabletop, including Hippogryph Knights, Blessed Trebuchets loaded with holy water, and Foot Squires. Even better, they have an awesome campaign that discourages mindless empire-building and instead rewards you with points of Chivalry for being a gallant Lady-fearing crusader.

==UNSQUATTED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD==

[[File:New Bretonnia.jpg|thumb|300px|right|FOR ZE LADY WE RIDE AGAIN!]]

After a recent update, it has been confirmed that Bretonnia will be making its glorious return in [[Warhammer: The Old World]]. The setting will be taking place during the time of King Louen Orc Slayer, who ruled around the time of The Age of Three Emperors. Knights and dirty peasantry rejoice for the lands of Bretonnia are making their glorious comeback!

==Of Knights, Lore, And Major Retcons==
For all that recent lore has Bretonnia as a place where being a peasant means you exist at the pleasure of the local nobility and can never hope to rise higher in life, this wasn't always the case. The 5th Edition Army Book, in addition to introducing the Lady Of The Lake, described becoming a knight as something that ''anyone'' could do provided they followed the ancient Bretonnian custom by which they earned it. Any area that needed a knight to protect it would designate a "perilous task" that the would-be knight had to complete, most likely involving the death of some local monster that had been eating people and causing a ruckus.

This task was traditionally chosen by "the fairest maiden in the village", who was destined to marry the one who succeeded at her task. Any brave or reckless youth was allowed to attempt it, with the volunteer being dubbed a Knight Errant and equipping themselves as best they can with whatever arms and armour they can beg, borrow, or scrounge. If they succeeded they were made a Knight of the Realm, gifted with the best armour and finest warhorse the village could afford (which, judging by the models, would make any Brettonian village ridiculously rich by real-life Medieval standards), along with lordship over the village itself and whatever lands and castle were considered part of it to defend as their own property.

There are several interesting details about this system, such as how Knights Errant are not technically knights; a Knight Errant is not a true knight, but an aspirant, the title meaning they're trying to become a knight by accepting an errand to complete. This leads directly to the tradition of the Errantry War when the king declares open season on a particular enemy and the war itself becomes an errand. Because you usually only get the chance to become a knight when your village doesn't currently have a knight, an Errantry War is a great opportunity for ambitious peasants and noble scions alike to seek knighthood, as well as a good way to raise a big army very quickly.

Of course, this also makes an Errantry War into a double-edged sword, because you have to give out the knighthoods afterwards. [[Roman Empire|If you haven't conquered enough land to go around...well, you're in a lot of trouble.]] So kings don't declare Errantry Wars very often. And, of course, to make sure there are “openings” for knighthood the peasants aren’t going to miss the fact there are too many knights already...

Another interesting detail is that the Bretonnian system of knighthood was functionally meritocratic, with knighthood something you achieved by completing an errand rather than inheriting the position. A lord's sons start out as Knights Errant and have an advantage over most peasants because they probably have access to much better training and equipment, but even so, they still have to follow the rule. No errand means no knighthood and no domain.

The system essentially worked from the bottom up, with the village as the basic unit of social organisation, and in many ways, you became a knight through social consensus. The person who succeeds at the errand is probably going to be the person with community support because the village provided the weapons, equipment, and other essential aid he needed to complete his errand. A knight was essentially a village champion, with the next level up being a champion chosen from among the knights, then you build another champion on top of them, and so on until you reached the King.

In this sense it would probably be fair to characterise 5th edition Bretonnia as a meritocratic aristocracy. You ascend to the aristocracy by performing errands, and if you were born to a noble family but fail to complete an errand then sorry, son, you're not a noble. While not perfect, the close association of the knight with the village probably helped to safeguard against abusive knights as well.

After all, who sets the errand? Who decides who the 'fairest maiden' is, and how does she decide what to do? What stops a village from agreeing to set a suicidal task if they hated the foremost candidates for knighthood, waited for those candidates to get killed and then set an easier one for the guy they liked?

Even the identification of a particular maiden as 'the fairest' had to do with social consensus. It's entirely possible that the potential knight and the maiden are already a couple and the system is gamed ahead of time. You don't get knighted by an existing knight, a lord, or the king, the whole system hinged on the local community.

Lastly, the knightly errand system made Bretonnia into what is essentially a land of D&D adventurers with a culture that puts a strong emphasis on individual heroism, serving as a nice contrast to the Empire. If you want social success, then you just had to go kill a monster! There were also no rules about how the errand is completed or any judges watching you, so it's entirely possible to complete the errand through cleverness.

Of course, [[Games Workshop]] didn't think that was [[grimdark]] enough, and for Sixth Edition decided to flip the system on its head so that instead of rising from the bottom up, it hangs down and drips faeces all over everyone unlucky enough to live at the bottom. [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]]'s [[Splatbook | Knights of the Grail]] follows the 6th edition model and provided a strict legal definition of nobility codified by Louis the Rash, the second king of Bretonnia. He made a big list of names called the Peer List: if your family name was on the list you were noble, and if all your ancestors in three generations were nobles then you were a noble, [[Nazi|but even one peasant would disqualify you.]] That means that even if ennobled peasant marries a noble, their children would still be peasants.
In theory, all Bretonnian nobles should be able to trace their lineage back to the List, and while the king has the power to add a name to the List, he has only done so three times in all of Bretonnia's recorded history. No word on how exactly Bretonnia has even survived to this day considering how dangerous a life of a knight is.
In stark opposition to the egalitarian system of 5E based on deeds, 6E Bretonnian nobility is purely a matter of ancestry. Nobles then claim fiefs and rule over villages, but are not required to interact with them in any way, and the village has no power over them.

In 5E, the knight springs from the people. In 6E, the knight dominates the people. Aren't [[retcon]]s [[Rage | nice]]?

==Special Characters==
Whilst Bretonnia was introduced with a fairly sizable list of special characters in its 5th edition sourcebook, most of them didn't make it into subsequent editions.

* [[Louen Leoncoeur]], the Lionhearted
* [[Repanse de Lyonesse]]
* [[Baron Odo d'Outremer]], avec Suliman le Saracen
* [[Roland le Marechal]]
* [[Tancred]], Duc De Quenelles
* [[Betrand the Brigand]] and the Bowmen of Bergerac
* [[The Knight of the Perilous Lance]]
* [[Tristran le Troubadour]] avec Jules le Joungleur
* [[Reynard le Chasseur]]
* [[Armand D'Aquitaine]]
* [[Jasperre le Beau]], Dragonslayer
* [[Bohemond Beastslayer]], Duke of Bastonne
* [[The Green Knight]]
* [[Morgiana le Fay]], Fay Enchantress of Bretonnia

==Unique Fauna and Flora==
Hagranyms
Dereliches
Preytons
Giant Snails
Dracoleeches
Chasm Horrors

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Games Workshop Hates France.jpeg|RIP Bretonnia, the Sisters shall never Forget
Part Deux.jpg|SUDDENLY
Britoinian Undead.jpg| SUDDENLY alternate
Map Bretonnia 6.jpg|You Are Here
Grail Reliquae Party.png|one of those Grail Pilgrims looks scruffier than the rest...It's the one holding the Lance.
</gallery>

==See Also==
* [[Warhammer/Tactics/Bretonnia|Tactics/Bretonnia]], in which we explain to you how to best bash skulls in, chaos warrior style, only from a horse.

== Links ==
* [https://courtofbretonnia.tumblr.com Court of Bretonnia] - a tumblrfaggot with a new, but good blog on Bretonnia.
* [http://fuckyeahbretonnia.tumblr.com FUCK YEAH BRETONNIA] - tumblrfaggot redeems self with a decent topical blog about Bretonnia.
* [http://www.roundtable-bretonnia.org/index.php The Roundtable of Bretonnia]
* [https://warhammerfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Bretonnia Warhammer Wiki - Bretonnia] - Dah Wikis
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60WQUG3XW3M Total War: Warhammer Bretonnia Trailer]

{{Regions and areas of the Old World}}
{{Playable Factions in Warhammer Fantasy Battle}}

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]]
[[Category:Bretonnia]][[Category:France]]

Genevieve Sandrine du Pointe du Lac Dieudonné

2022-09-05T23:09:36Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:6D3E:5735:CBBE:C0F8: /* Age of Sigmar */

[[Image:Genevieve-Undead.jpg|left|thumb|400px|]]
A character of a series of books written in the ye olde days of WHFB, by [[Jack Yeovil]], more widely known as the film critic/horror buff Kim Newman. [[Mary Sue|A very old (older than most adult elves) Wuxia, French, Kung Fu, clairvoyant, magical, master barmaid, vampiress who is apparently described as being blonde and green-eyed despite every drawing of her showing her as having dark hair.]] I swear I'm not making this shit up.

==The Legend==

A long time ago, in Parravon there lived a young [[Bretonnia|Bretonnian]] (French) girl who lived in luxury along with the rest of her family. This was due to her father who was a servant to the local knightly lord.
Then [[Drachenfels|a big meanie named Drachenfels]] invaded, killing fuckloads of people and executing all the nobles while plundering the province.
Poor little Genevieve's parents were killed and she and her sisters were forced to live under the care of their uncle in the mostly depopulated dukedom. This continued until she was 16 when a vampire named Chandagnac found her and decided to make her into one of his wives. Chandagnac himself was a servant to Lady Melissa d'Acques, a very prestigious cougar of the [[Queen Neferata|Lahmian]] Bloodline who despite having the [[Anime|body of a young girl of 12 was actually over 1,100 years old]].

Unfortunately for Chandagnac, he was far too dim-witted and eccentric to stay hidden, and sometime after transforming Genevieve with the Dark kiss he was hunted down by priests of [[Ulric]] who staked him and then sawed off his head with a silver plated scimitar. Genevieve's sisters meanwhile would end up growing old and dying as unlike her they had remained mortal. Left with nobody from her human family in the world and with a severe bloodlust and superhuman powers, Genevieve went east.

She spent some time in [[Araby]] (the Middle East), and it was not a pleasant experience as part of it was spent as a slave. Eventually, she got her freedom and proceeded through the Warhammer Silk Road and ended up in [[Cathay]], AKA Warhammer China. She became a trader between Cathay and [[Nippon]] (Japan) for a hundred years or so, making her one of the few beings to have ever been to Nippon.

Roughly around this time or maybe a little afterward, she met a master monk named Master Po (showing GW being creative as always). She ends up spending thirty years with him learning to control her bloodlust to the point she required very little to survive as well as learning quite a bit more about the culture of Cathay and those it had met in exchange for telling her own stories to him. He also tried to impart some of his mystic wisdom to her but, by her own admission, she was not very good at throwing around magic and so after teaching her just the basics of it Master Po ended up switching gears and teaching her martial arts. Eventually, Master Po went on to teach important Cathayan generals, but that's not important since GW never bothered making Cathay relevant until [[Total War: Warhammer|Total War: Warhammer 3]]. Centuries would pass after this and during this time Genevieve would continue to travel and find herself working along the way in a variety of roles "...a child of court, a whore, a queen (of what nation is unknown), a soldier (in what army she doesn't say), a musician, a physician, a priestess (though to what diety is never said), an agitator, a gambler, a landowner, a penniless derelict, a herbalist, an outlaw, a bodyguard, a pit fighter, a student, a smuggler, a trapper, an alchemist and a slave.” When and how she got enslaved AGAIN is a mystery but it appears to have been in the Dark Lands judging by an offhand remark of her’s so it probably involved the [[Chaos Dwarfs]]. Despite this little hiccup, her travels were far less difficult then they might have been thanks to the fact that with the exception of a few awkward things like not casting a reflection Gené could easily pass as a human as she was not fatally vulnerable to many of the usual vampire weaknesses like sunlight, running water, garlic, and holy symbols (though fire still hurt and the damage it caused took time to regenerate from, she was weakened in daylight and hated being outside then without sunglasses, and silver could still kill her). Additionally and unknown even to her she was also being aided by the Lahmian Sisterhood who secretly protected her throughout many of her adventures, as they valued her ability to influence the minds of mortals into softening towards Vampires, thus making them all the more pliant and willing slaves when [[Neferata]] would eventually come to make them hers. Thanks to this help Genevieve found herself left her with a great deal of time in between adventures so at some point she took the opportunity to write down an account of her travels in the biographical play "A Life".

[[Image:Genevieve Drachenfels.jpg|right|thumb|150px|She aged pretty well!]]

In any event, after going throughout much of the known world Genevieve finally found herself in [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|The Empire ]] where she came out of the closet as a vampire. Somehow this was acceptable in her case (Newman was fairly loose with canon, although at this early stage of Warhammer's life the canon was pretty loose to begin with), and she mingled in high society until she became bored and frustrated with the pompous nobility (Magnus the Pious, one of the greatest Emperors of the Empire, putting his hand up her dress probably contributed).
After that incident, she slipped into the lower classes of society and ended up working as a barmaid in Altdorf in a bar that secretly catered to vampires called the Crescent Moon for several decades, taking a break only to travel to [[Kislev]] at some point to visit the vampire Tsarina Kattarin since they were both of the same vampire lineage and Genevieve wanted to get to know her. Genevieve would regret this decision though, as she quickly learned firsthand why Lady Melissa had advised against Kattarin being turned into a vampire in the first place, and why Kattarin was known as “Kattarin the Bloody”. Unlike Genevieve, Kattarin was a total monster who had overthrown her husband and liked to bathe in the blood of her courtiers' children and this combined with her rampant cruelty even to her own mortal relatives disturbed the Bretonnian lady so much she quickly abandoned her sister in darkness to her own devices. As Gené later found out she left at the perfect time as Kattarin’s cruelty lead to her downfall shortly after Gené left with Tsarevich Pavel slaying the Tzarina in revenge for the time she chopped off one of his arms. In the wake of Kattarin’s slaying Pavel took the throne, the Tzarina’s corpse was preserved in a block of ice for everyone to see and jeer at, and a Kislevite Vampire hunting society was established and named after Pavel.

Some time after this, during the sixth century of her life, Genevieve was found by the teenage Grand Prince Oswald von Konigswald the son of the Elector Count of Ostland who paid her to join him and his crew in their quest to kill the immortal enchanter [[Drachenfels]], something she was more than willing to do given what he had done to her family and homeland. After losing a few friends along the way and fighting past all the [[Orcs & Goblins|greenskins]]/[[Daemons]]/[[Vampire Counts|Undead]] allied to the big baddy she, Oswald, and the Dwarf Menesh reached Drach's throne room finding it filled with neat stuff like a caged [[harpy]], tons of riches, and shrines mockingly raised to the [[Chaos Gods]] and the Elven murder god [[Khaine]]. While they were distracted by the shiny stuff Drach appeared and proceeded to torment Genevieve by showing her the tortured soul of her father which he had kept magically imprisoned. Drach then proceeded to tear Menesh's arm off (he survived though) before sicking a whole crapload of evil spirits on Genevieve. The attack knocked her unconscious and thus Oswald was forced to fight and apparently kill Drach alone using one of the great Enchanter's own trophies, an ancient sword that had Sigmar's dried blood on it.

After their victory, Genevieve tried to take up traveling again, but after an incident where she and a mercenary stopped a Cathayan devotee of [[Tzeentch]] named Dien Ch'ing and his superiors from carrying out a plot to corrupt a moral crusade and overthrow the Empire of Man, Genevieve decided she needed a break from being a hero and retired to a sanctuary for vampires called "the Convent of the Order of Eternal Night and Solace" for the next quarter-century.

Decades later, Oswald invited her along with their surviving battle buddies and the highest nobility of the time to a play about his defeat of Drachenfels to be held at the Great Enchanter's Castle no less. There she met [[Karl Franz]], whom she took a liking to, and the actress playing her, whom she very much hated. She also found herself attracted to the play's director and main actor Detlef Sierck who had been hired on by Oswald in exchange for Oswald wiping out Detlef's massive debt from an earlier botched production he had been unable to finish. It wasn't till years later that she would realize that part of the reason for her attraction to him was that she had inadvertently met a child aged version of Detlef years prior during that whole mess with the moral crusade and subconsciously recognized him.

Sadly the two new lovers couldn't fully enjoy their time together, as the whole production of the play would prove to be difficult due to it being plagued with disturbing and creepy happenings including the deaths and mutilation of all of Genevieve’s living friends (excluding Oswald who had been traveling with the Emperor up to this point). Things got so bad that Genevieve was forced to replace the actress meant to play her on stage just an hour before curtain rise after the latter was scared off. This, as it happens, would prove to be Genevieve’s one and only role ever as an actress on stage.

Ultimately, it turned out the actress meant to play her might have had the right idea running as during the play’s final act the whole thing was revealed to be an elaborate trap. Years earlier Drachenfels, knowing his latest physical body was decaying had struck a deal with Oswald where he agreed to spare the whimpering teen in exchange for him serving him. Oswald had agreed and Drach had faked his own destruction making Oswald a hero and allowing him to lure all the major players in the Empire to the Enchanter's castle where Drach intended to resurrect and kill off all the leadership in the Empire. The sole exception to this murder-fest would be Oswald who would serve as Drachenfels’ puppet ruler of the Empire. Once all the players were in place Drach began to resurrect in a body Frankensteined out of a combination of the body of the actor playing him (who was in on the whole mess as well) and body parts from Genevieve's friends. A now semi-revived Drach then personally murdered some folks observing things before attacking Genevieve. He intended to drain her blood to finish reviving himself but made the mistake of wounding a protective Detlef in the process. Genevieve then went berserk and furiously attacked Drach damaging his new body enough that it allowed Detlef to get free. Thankfully unlike Oswald years before Detlef wasn't an easily scared pansy and so instead of running, he grabbed a sledgehammer that one of the stagehands had left lying around and came back swinging to protect his vampire lover. Normally this attack would have done jack-all to the immortal enchanter but as it happens [[Sigmar]] had apparently been watching the whole mess unfold and decided to channel his power through Detlef which allowed him to cave the 15,000-year-old bastard's head in and stop his still incomplete resurrection cold.

After the defeat of Drachenfels, Detlef then killed the traitorous Oswald with a sword after the latter botched an attempt to assassinate Karl Franz and his son. With that problem taken care of and his debt wiped clean courtesy of a grateful Empire, Genevieve and Detlef settled down together in Altdorf.

They lived in a newly purchased theatre, the Vargr Breughel Memorial Playhouse (named after a friend of Detlef who died after he was outed as a mutant), where Detlef continued to write plays known the world over from [[Ulthuan]] to [[Lustria]] (though the latter was probably referring to the human settlements there such as the town of Skeggi and not the [[Slann]]). Unfortunately, their fun times were interrupted by an attempt on their lives by a leftover creation of Drachenfels; a magical living mask capable of possessing its wielders called the Animus. Though they defeated it with some help Genevieve was disturbed by this attack and believing she was having a negative influence on Detlef she took up traveling again to protect him. Detlef was highly upset by her vanishing and ended up writing a series of sonnets about her called “To my Unchanging lady” that were widely considered his best work…when they weren’t being suppressed by local authorities.

While Detlef was off grieving for his loss Genevieve was busy traveling through [[Tilea]]. There she found herself trapped within the strange enchantments of the House of Udolpho which was rigged by its master to brainwash everyone who stepped foot in it into constantly acting out ridiculously over the top gothic scenarios forever. Luckily she managed to escape with the aid of several people including the revolutionist Aleksandar Kloszowski whom she ended up accompanying back to the Empire. This proved to not be a good idea though as Kloszowski had a warrant on his head for helping stage the big fog riot in Altdorf some time earlier. As a result Imperial spymaster Mornan Tybalt, the Keeper of the Imperial counting house caught wind of Genevieve’s traveling with the wanted criminal and after capturing her in Middenheim he used her association with Kloszowski to blackmail her. Tybalt threatened her with being imprisoned in silver shackles in Mundsen Keep as well as ruining Detlef and so with his agent Balthus she was sent to kill Tybalt's rival Graf Rudiger von Unheimlich while he was on a unicorn hunt. Fortunately, her target turned out to be a generally terrible person deserving of death and so after finishing him off and the later ousting of Tybalt from the Imperial court she finally returned to Detlef after years apart. Unfortunately, it was just after a vampire hating religious fanatic Antiochus Bland had passed some law to try and set in motion a new war against the undead. After stopping that plan and helping Lady Melissa get the law overturned Gené and Detlef were married by the Arch-Lector of Sigmar no less (the benefits of their being friends with the Emperor and whatnot), however, it proved a short-lived marriage as just over a decade later Detlef would die in his 50s.

===[[End Times]]===

Later it was revealed that Drachenfels was not quite as dead as everyone had hoped. During the End Times he appeared again as a bodiless spirit with no memory of who he was. Turns out getting your head caved in with a divinely enhanced hammer when your only halfway resurrected is a good way to end up with a severe case of amnesia. [[Nagash]] stumbled across Drachenfels and recognizing him from an earlier encounter when he had enlisted his aid against the then mortal Sigmar promised to return Drach’s memories and name to him if he served him as a servant. Fortunately for the undead Bretonnian bar wench, Nagash reneged on his promise, and Drach after angrily switching sides to join [[Chaos]] would find himself put down for good when he made the mistake of possessing a certain very devout Sigmarite priest named Luthor Huss. Though initially in control of his new body a few choice insults by [[Vlad von Carstein]] ultimately managed to awaken the priest’s dormant consciousness and his surging Sigmarite faith seemingly flash-fried the spectral bastard out of existence.

Genevieve herself MAY have had a fleeting unnamed cameo in the lorebook End Times: Nagash. One of the short lore pieces goes into detail about a mysterious meeting that [[Balthasar Gelt]] has with an unnamed woman cloaked in shadow and who basically feeds him the idea and plans for the Auric Bastion to stop the Chaos invasion. This is later revealed to be the minion of Queen [[Neferata]], the top Lahmian vampire, as the Vampires have a vested interest in the world continuing and not being destroyed.

The kicker is that in this meeting Gelt notes that the unnamed girl sounds like a Bretonnian from Parravon or Montfort, is very young and drinks a ruby liquid from a goblet. She also states she does not like her female master. Considering that Genevieve is a notably free-willed and independent Lahmian Vampire from Parravon and that otherwise, all Lahmians revere Neferata, this seems like a suggestive nod from GW to the audience as to who this woman is, though it looks like coincidental evidence, but pretty cool nonetheless. As to WHY Genevieve may want to work for her progenitor Neferata considering she has ignored more malevolent vampires in the past, she could just have an alignment of interests with her in not wanting to see the world ended or it's her way of serving Nagash so he doesn't set her brain on fire inside her skull (like he did with all Vampires who refused to serve him, such as [[Zacharias The Everliving]]) since as a Vampire Genevieve would certainly have felt Nagash's return.

During Karl's ascendance into God Emperorhood during End Times: Archaon, a wave of holy magic radiated through Altdorf and burned away the filth of generations (as well as all daemons and undead). This likely did not include her though as earlier in the book she had been off delivering a message of warning from Neferata to Vlad von Carstein before telling him she intends to go home, something which many people took to mean Bretonnia. In her own words: "My time in this world is coming to an end, just as yours is, and I think I would rather meet it in my homeland." Even if she had come to see Altdorf as her home due to her time with Detlef she likely survived the blast of holy energy despite her undead nature, as according to her novels Karl and his son Luitpold II were rather fond of her thanks to her actions against Drachenfels. Regardless she most definitely was killed when Archaon managed to blow the planet up at the end of the whole End Times mess. As of yet, there has been no trace of her in Age of Sigmar so it’s unclear if her soul made the transition to the new world. UNTIL NOW! Read Gothghul Hollow!

[[Image:Vampire-Genevieve.jpg|right|thumb|150px|]]

==Age of Sigmar==

She has apparently made it up to the Mortal Realms in the story Gothghul Hollow.

==Canon?==

The Drachenfels and Genevieve stories rely on canon that has since been retconned, and any discussion about either will usually start an [[Skub|argument]] over the canonicity of the story. To get a picture of how retconned it is, the Bretonnia of her stories is modeled on the pre-French revolution version that was written over YEARS ago. The fact she's a very popular character in the Warhammer Fantasy communities, and her books are generally regarded as being very well written makes those discussions particularly heated.

Almost every source cites the fact that Vampires are universally reviled in the Warhammer Fantasy universe, and in the Empire being or working with the Undead is a heresy as grave as working with Chaos. Despite this Genevieve is openly a vampire and mingles throughout Empire society. She only receives unease from others rather than being chased with pitchforks, and the [[Witch Hunters]] of the Empire would normally not hesitate to FWIP anyone regardless of their position. For this, the only logical explanation is that she has had the approval of three Emperors, whose authority even the Witch Hunters must obey.

However, the books infer Genevieve's vampirism is an open secret, as she was chased more than once by angry mobs when her vampirism was discovered but managed to sneak away. Furthermore, she had a vampire support group (of other vampires) who let her know if any Witch Hunters were nearby, in which case she'd keep a low profile. It also helped that she only fed on willing people or criminals.

Drachenfels himself is full of canon plot holes, but that can be seen and argued on his own page.

[[Vermintide]]'s Franz Lohner has said he recalls meeting a lady vampire whose name starts with 'G'.

The fact that in the [[End Times]] event Drachenfels is canon suggests however that Genevieve is as well. Then again, in End Times everything, well, ended.

That being said, it's been shown through the works focusing on Nagash that many Undead survived into the new world (at the very least his Mortarchs and their mounts) so she may have persisted into [[Age of Sigmar]] as well, and it's not completely impossible she could be a [[Sigmarine]], as Sigmar has shown he’s not shy about stealing souls from Nagash and he has even managed to convert chaos corrupted souls into Sigmarines. Plus it could be argued that since Sigmar didn’t instantly smite everyone at her marraige ceremony in the old world despite it being officiated by the hammer-Pope he seems at the very least to somewhat approve of her.

==On the Tabletop==

Genevieve, thanks to her globe-trotting lifestyle, could be fluffed into most Order armies. Of course Empire and Bretonnia armies work best, as does the player who fields a homemade Cathayan army. For a model the Bretonnian Damsels or the Vampire maidens off the Coven Throne model work best.
If using End Times rules, then a wizard in [[Lore of Undeath]] works as well.

[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]] [[Category: Vampire Counts]] [[Category: Empire]] [[Category: Bretonnia]][[Category:France]]

Genevieve Sandrine du Pointe du Lac Dieudonné

2022-09-05T23:09:24Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:6D3E:5735:CBBE:C0F8: /* End Times */

[[Image:Genevieve-Undead.jpg|left|thumb|400px|]]
A character of a series of books written in the ye olde days of WHFB, by [[Jack Yeovil]], more widely known as the film critic/horror buff Kim Newman. [[Mary Sue|A very old (older than most adult elves) Wuxia, French, Kung Fu, clairvoyant, magical, master barmaid, vampiress who is apparently described as being blonde and green-eyed despite every drawing of her showing her as having dark hair.]] I swear I'm not making this shit up.

==The Legend==

A long time ago, in Parravon there lived a young [[Bretonnia|Bretonnian]] (French) girl who lived in luxury along with the rest of her family. This was due to her father who was a servant to the local knightly lord.
Then [[Drachenfels|a big meanie named Drachenfels]] invaded, killing fuckloads of people and executing all the nobles while plundering the province.
Poor little Genevieve's parents were killed and she and her sisters were forced to live under the care of their uncle in the mostly depopulated dukedom. This continued until she was 16 when a vampire named Chandagnac found her and decided to make her into one of his wives. Chandagnac himself was a servant to Lady Melissa d'Acques, a very prestigious cougar of the [[Queen Neferata|Lahmian]] Bloodline who despite having the [[Anime|body of a young girl of 12 was actually over 1,100 years old]].

Unfortunately for Chandagnac, he was far too dim-witted and eccentric to stay hidden, and sometime after transforming Genevieve with the Dark kiss he was hunted down by priests of [[Ulric]] who staked him and then sawed off his head with a silver plated scimitar. Genevieve's sisters meanwhile would end up growing old and dying as unlike her they had remained mortal. Left with nobody from her human family in the world and with a severe bloodlust and superhuman powers, Genevieve went east.

She spent some time in [[Araby]] (the Middle East), and it was not a pleasant experience as part of it was spent as a slave. Eventually, she got her freedom and proceeded through the Warhammer Silk Road and ended up in [[Cathay]], AKA Warhammer China. She became a trader between Cathay and [[Nippon]] (Japan) for a hundred years or so, making her one of the few beings to have ever been to Nippon.

Roughly around this time or maybe a little afterward, she met a master monk named Master Po (showing GW being creative as always). She ends up spending thirty years with him learning to control her bloodlust to the point she required very little to survive as well as learning quite a bit more about the culture of Cathay and those it had met in exchange for telling her own stories to him. He also tried to impart some of his mystic wisdom to her but, by her own admission, she was not very good at throwing around magic and so after teaching her just the basics of it Master Po ended up switching gears and teaching her martial arts. Eventually, Master Po went on to teach important Cathayan generals, but that's not important since GW never bothered making Cathay relevant until [[Total War: Warhammer|Total War: Warhammer 3]]. Centuries would pass after this and during this time Genevieve would continue to travel and find herself working along the way in a variety of roles "...a child of court, a whore, a queen (of what nation is unknown), a soldier (in what army she doesn't say), a musician, a physician, a priestess (though to what diety is never said), an agitator, a gambler, a landowner, a penniless derelict, a herbalist, an outlaw, a bodyguard, a pit fighter, a student, a smuggler, a trapper, an alchemist and a slave.” When and how she got enslaved AGAIN is a mystery but it appears to have been in the Dark Lands judging by an offhand remark of her’s so it probably involved the [[Chaos Dwarfs]]. Despite this little hiccup, her travels were far less difficult then they might have been thanks to the fact that with the exception of a few awkward things like not casting a reflection Gené could easily pass as a human as she was not fatally vulnerable to many of the usual vampire weaknesses like sunlight, running water, garlic, and holy symbols (though fire still hurt and the damage it caused took time to regenerate from, she was weakened in daylight and hated being outside then without sunglasses, and silver could still kill her). Additionally and unknown even to her she was also being aided by the Lahmian Sisterhood who secretly protected her throughout many of her adventures, as they valued her ability to influence the minds of mortals into softening towards Vampires, thus making them all the more pliant and willing slaves when [[Neferata]] would eventually come to make them hers. Thanks to this help Genevieve found herself left her with a great deal of time in between adventures so at some point she took the opportunity to write down an account of her travels in the biographical play "A Life".

[[Image:Genevieve Drachenfels.jpg|right|thumb|150px|She aged pretty well!]]

In any event, after going throughout much of the known world Genevieve finally found herself in [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|The Empire ]] where she came out of the closet as a vampire. Somehow this was acceptable in her case (Newman was fairly loose with canon, although at this early stage of Warhammer's life the canon was pretty loose to begin with), and she mingled in high society until she became bored and frustrated with the pompous nobility (Magnus the Pious, one of the greatest Emperors of the Empire, putting his hand up her dress probably contributed).
After that incident, she slipped into the lower classes of society and ended up working as a barmaid in Altdorf in a bar that secretly catered to vampires called the Crescent Moon for several decades, taking a break only to travel to [[Kislev]] at some point to visit the vampire Tsarina Kattarin since they were both of the same vampire lineage and Genevieve wanted to get to know her. Genevieve would regret this decision though, as she quickly learned firsthand why Lady Melissa had advised against Kattarin being turned into a vampire in the first place, and why Kattarin was known as “Kattarin the Bloody”. Unlike Genevieve, Kattarin was a total monster who had overthrown her husband and liked to bathe in the blood of her courtiers' children and this combined with her rampant cruelty even to her own mortal relatives disturbed the Bretonnian lady so much she quickly abandoned her sister in darkness to her own devices. As Gené later found out she left at the perfect time as Kattarin’s cruelty lead to her downfall shortly after Gené left with Tsarevich Pavel slaying the Tzarina in revenge for the time she chopped off one of his arms. In the wake of Kattarin’s slaying Pavel took the throne, the Tzarina’s corpse was preserved in a block of ice for everyone to see and jeer at, and a Kislevite Vampire hunting society was established and named after Pavel.

Some time after this, during the sixth century of her life, Genevieve was found by the teenage Grand Prince Oswald von Konigswald the son of the Elector Count of Ostland who paid her to join him and his crew in their quest to kill the immortal enchanter [[Drachenfels]], something she was more than willing to do given what he had done to her family and homeland. After losing a few friends along the way and fighting past all the [[Orcs & Goblins|greenskins]]/[[Daemons]]/[[Vampire Counts|Undead]] allied to the big baddy she, Oswald, and the Dwarf Menesh reached Drach's throne room finding it filled with neat stuff like a caged [[harpy]], tons of riches, and shrines mockingly raised to the [[Chaos Gods]] and the Elven murder god [[Khaine]]. While they were distracted by the shiny stuff Drach appeared and proceeded to torment Genevieve by showing her the tortured soul of her father which he had kept magically imprisoned. Drach then proceeded to tear Menesh's arm off (he survived though) before sicking a whole crapload of evil spirits on Genevieve. The attack knocked her unconscious and thus Oswald was forced to fight and apparently kill Drach alone using one of the great Enchanter's own trophies, an ancient sword that had Sigmar's dried blood on it.

After their victory, Genevieve tried to take up traveling again, but after an incident where she and a mercenary stopped a Cathayan devotee of [[Tzeentch]] named Dien Ch'ing and his superiors from carrying out a plot to corrupt a moral crusade and overthrow the Empire of Man, Genevieve decided she needed a break from being a hero and retired to a sanctuary for vampires called "the Convent of the Order of Eternal Night and Solace" for the next quarter-century.

Decades later, Oswald invited her along with their surviving battle buddies and the highest nobility of the time to a play about his defeat of Drachenfels to be held at the Great Enchanter's Castle no less. There she met [[Karl Franz]], whom she took a liking to, and the actress playing her, whom she very much hated. She also found herself attracted to the play's director and main actor Detlef Sierck who had been hired on by Oswald in exchange for Oswald wiping out Detlef's massive debt from an earlier botched production he had been unable to finish. It wasn't till years later that she would realize that part of the reason for her attraction to him was that she had inadvertently met a child aged version of Detlef years prior during that whole mess with the moral crusade and subconsciously recognized him.

Sadly the two new lovers couldn't fully enjoy their time together, as the whole production of the play would prove to be difficult due to it being plagued with disturbing and creepy happenings including the deaths and mutilation of all of Genevieve’s living friends (excluding Oswald who had been traveling with the Emperor up to this point). Things got so bad that Genevieve was forced to replace the actress meant to play her on stage just an hour before curtain rise after the latter was scared off. This, as it happens, would prove to be Genevieve’s one and only role ever as an actress on stage.

Ultimately, it turned out the actress meant to play her might have had the right idea running as during the play’s final act the whole thing was revealed to be an elaborate trap. Years earlier Drachenfels, knowing his latest physical body was decaying had struck a deal with Oswald where he agreed to spare the whimpering teen in exchange for him serving him. Oswald had agreed and Drach had faked his own destruction making Oswald a hero and allowing him to lure all the major players in the Empire to the Enchanter's castle where Drach intended to resurrect and kill off all the leadership in the Empire. The sole exception to this murder-fest would be Oswald who would serve as Drachenfels’ puppet ruler of the Empire. Once all the players were in place Drach began to resurrect in a body Frankensteined out of a combination of the body of the actor playing him (who was in on the whole mess as well) and body parts from Genevieve's friends. A now semi-revived Drach then personally murdered some folks observing things before attacking Genevieve. He intended to drain her blood to finish reviving himself but made the mistake of wounding a protective Detlef in the process. Genevieve then went berserk and furiously attacked Drach damaging his new body enough that it allowed Detlef to get free. Thankfully unlike Oswald years before Detlef wasn't an easily scared pansy and so instead of running, he grabbed a sledgehammer that one of the stagehands had left lying around and came back swinging to protect his vampire lover. Normally this attack would have done jack-all to the immortal enchanter but as it happens [[Sigmar]] had apparently been watching the whole mess unfold and decided to channel his power through Detlef which allowed him to cave the 15,000-year-old bastard's head in and stop his still incomplete resurrection cold.

After the defeat of Drachenfels, Detlef then killed the traitorous Oswald with a sword after the latter botched an attempt to assassinate Karl Franz and his son. With that problem taken care of and his debt wiped clean courtesy of a grateful Empire, Genevieve and Detlef settled down together in Altdorf.

They lived in a newly purchased theatre, the Vargr Breughel Memorial Playhouse (named after a friend of Detlef who died after he was outed as a mutant), where Detlef continued to write plays known the world over from [[Ulthuan]] to [[Lustria]] (though the latter was probably referring to the human settlements there such as the town of Skeggi and not the [[Slann]]). Unfortunately, their fun times were interrupted by an attempt on their lives by a leftover creation of Drachenfels; a magical living mask capable of possessing its wielders called the Animus. Though they defeated it with some help Genevieve was disturbed by this attack and believing she was having a negative influence on Detlef she took up traveling again to protect him. Detlef was highly upset by her vanishing and ended up writing a series of sonnets about her called “To my Unchanging lady” that were widely considered his best work…when they weren’t being suppressed by local authorities.

While Detlef was off grieving for his loss Genevieve was busy traveling through [[Tilea]]. There she found herself trapped within the strange enchantments of the House of Udolpho which was rigged by its master to brainwash everyone who stepped foot in it into constantly acting out ridiculously over the top gothic scenarios forever. Luckily she managed to escape with the aid of several people including the revolutionist Aleksandar Kloszowski whom she ended up accompanying back to the Empire. This proved to not be a good idea though as Kloszowski had a warrant on his head for helping stage the big fog riot in Altdorf some time earlier. As a result Imperial spymaster Mornan Tybalt, the Keeper of the Imperial counting house caught wind of Genevieve’s traveling with the wanted criminal and after capturing her in Middenheim he used her association with Kloszowski to blackmail her. Tybalt threatened her with being imprisoned in silver shackles in Mundsen Keep as well as ruining Detlef and so with his agent Balthus she was sent to kill Tybalt's rival Graf Rudiger von Unheimlich while he was on a unicorn hunt. Fortunately, her target turned out to be a generally terrible person deserving of death and so after finishing him off and the later ousting of Tybalt from the Imperial court she finally returned to Detlef after years apart. Unfortunately, it was just after a vampire hating religious fanatic Antiochus Bland had passed some law to try and set in motion a new war against the undead. After stopping that plan and helping Lady Melissa get the law overturned Gené and Detlef were married by the Arch-Lector of Sigmar no less (the benefits of their being friends with the Emperor and whatnot), however, it proved a short-lived marriage as just over a decade later Detlef would die in his 50s.

===[[End Times]]===

Later it was revealed that Drachenfels was not quite as dead as everyone had hoped. During the End Times he appeared again as a bodiless spirit with no memory of who he was. Turns out getting your head caved in with a divinely enhanced hammer when your only halfway resurrected is a good way to end up with a severe case of amnesia. [[Nagash]] stumbled across Drachenfels and recognizing him from an earlier encounter when he had enlisted his aid against the then mortal Sigmar promised to return Drach’s memories and name to him if he served him as a servant. Fortunately for the undead Bretonnian bar wench, Nagash reneged on his promise, and Drach after angrily switching sides to join [[Chaos]] would find himself put down for good when he made the mistake of possessing a certain very devout Sigmarite priest named Luthor Huss. Though initially in control of his new body a few choice insults by [[Vlad von Carstein]] ultimately managed to awaken the priest’s dormant consciousness and his surging Sigmarite faith seemingly flash-fried the spectral bastard out of existence.

Genevieve herself MAY have had a fleeting unnamed cameo in the lorebook End Times: Nagash. One of the short lore pieces goes into detail about a mysterious meeting that [[Balthasar Gelt]] has with an unnamed woman cloaked in shadow and who basically feeds him the idea and plans for the Auric Bastion to stop the Chaos invasion. This is later revealed to be the minion of Queen [[Neferata]], the top Lahmian vampire, as the Vampires have a vested interest in the world continuing and not being destroyed.

The kicker is that in this meeting Gelt notes that the unnamed girl sounds like a Bretonnian from Parravon or Montfort, is very young and drinks a ruby liquid from a goblet. She also states she does not like her female master. Considering that Genevieve is a notably free-willed and independent Lahmian Vampire from Parravon and that otherwise, all Lahmians revere Neferata, this seems like a suggestive nod from GW to the audience as to who this woman is, though it looks like coincidental evidence, but pretty cool nonetheless. As to WHY Genevieve may want to work for her progenitor Neferata considering she has ignored more malevolent vampires in the past, she could just have an alignment of interests with her in not wanting to see the world ended or it's her way of serving Nagash so he doesn't set her brain on fire inside her skull (like he did with all Vampires who refused to serve him, such as [[Zacharias The Everliving]]) since as a Vampire Genevieve would certainly have felt Nagash's return.

During Karl's ascendance into God Emperorhood during End Times: Archaon, a wave of holy magic radiated through Altdorf and burned away the filth of generations (as well as all daemons and undead). This likely did not include her though as earlier in the book she had been off delivering a message of warning from Neferata to Vlad von Carstein before telling him she intends to go home, something which many people took to mean Bretonnia. In her own words: "My time in this world is coming to an end, just as yours is, and I think I would rather meet it in my homeland." Even if she had come to see Altdorf as her home due to her time with Detlef she likely survived the blast of holy energy despite her undead nature, as according to her novels Karl and his son Luitpold II were rather fond of her thanks to her actions against Drachenfels. Regardless she most definitely was killed when Archaon managed to blow the planet up at the end of the whole End Times mess. As of yet, there has been no trace of her in Age of Sigmar so it’s unclear if her soul made the transition to the new world. UNTIL NOW! Read Gothghul Hollow!

[[Image:Vampire-Genevieve.jpg|right|thumb|150px|]]

==Age of Sigmar==

She has apparently made it up to the Mortal Realms in the story Gothgul Hollow.

==Canon?==

The Drachenfels and Genevieve stories rely on canon that has since been retconned, and any discussion about either will usually start an [[Skub|argument]] over the canonicity of the story. To get a picture of how retconned it is, the Bretonnia of her stories is modeled on the pre-French revolution version that was written over YEARS ago. The fact she's a very popular character in the Warhammer Fantasy communities, and her books are generally regarded as being very well written makes those discussions particularly heated.

Almost every source cites the fact that Vampires are universally reviled in the Warhammer Fantasy universe, and in the Empire being or working with the Undead is a heresy as grave as working with Chaos. Despite this Genevieve is openly a vampire and mingles throughout Empire society. She only receives unease from others rather than being chased with pitchforks, and the [[Witch Hunters]] of the Empire would normally not hesitate to FWIP anyone regardless of their position. For this, the only logical explanation is that she has had the approval of three Emperors, whose authority even the Witch Hunters must obey.

However, the books infer Genevieve's vampirism is an open secret, as she was chased more than once by angry mobs when her vampirism was discovered but managed to sneak away. Furthermore, she had a vampire support group (of other vampires) who let her know if any Witch Hunters were nearby, in which case she'd keep a low profile. It also helped that she only fed on willing people or criminals.

Drachenfels himself is full of canon plot holes, but that can be seen and argued on his own page.

[[Vermintide]]'s Franz Lohner has said he recalls meeting a lady vampire whose name starts with 'G'.

The fact that in the [[End Times]] event Drachenfels is canon suggests however that Genevieve is as well. Then again, in End Times everything, well, ended.

That being said, it's been shown through the works focusing on Nagash that many Undead survived into the new world (at the very least his Mortarchs and their mounts) so she may have persisted into [[Age of Sigmar]] as well, and it's not completely impossible she could be a [[Sigmarine]], as Sigmar has shown he’s not shy about stealing souls from Nagash and he has even managed to convert chaos corrupted souls into Sigmarines. Plus it could be argued that since Sigmar didn’t instantly smite everyone at her marraige ceremony in the old world despite it being officiated by the hammer-Pope he seems at the very least to somewhat approve of her.

==On the Tabletop==

Genevieve, thanks to her globe-trotting lifestyle, could be fluffed into most Order armies. Of course Empire and Bretonnia armies work best, as does the player who fields a homemade Cathayan army. For a model the Bretonnian Damsels or the Vampire maidens off the Coven Throne model work best.
If using End Times rules, then a wizard in [[Lore of Undeath]] works as well.

[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]] [[Category: Vampire Counts]] [[Category: Empire]] [[Category: Bretonnia]][[Category:France]]

Genevieve Sandrine du Pointe du Lac Dieudonné

2022-09-05T23:08:13Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:6D3E:5735:CBBE:C0F8: /* End Times */

[[Image:Genevieve-Undead.jpg|left|thumb|400px|]]
A character of a series of books written in the ye olde days of WHFB, by [[Jack Yeovil]], more widely known as the film critic/horror buff Kim Newman. [[Mary Sue|A very old (older than most adult elves) Wuxia, French, Kung Fu, clairvoyant, magical, master barmaid, vampiress who is apparently described as being blonde and green-eyed despite every drawing of her showing her as having dark hair.]] I swear I'm not making this shit up.

==The Legend==

A long time ago, in Parravon there lived a young [[Bretonnia|Bretonnian]] (French) girl who lived in luxury along with the rest of her family. This was due to her father who was a servant to the local knightly lord.
Then [[Drachenfels|a big meanie named Drachenfels]] invaded, killing fuckloads of people and executing all the nobles while plundering the province.
Poor little Genevieve's parents were killed and she and her sisters were forced to live under the care of their uncle in the mostly depopulated dukedom. This continued until she was 16 when a vampire named Chandagnac found her and decided to make her into one of his wives. Chandagnac himself was a servant to Lady Melissa d'Acques, a very prestigious cougar of the [[Queen Neferata|Lahmian]] Bloodline who despite having the [[Anime|body of a young girl of 12 was actually over 1,100 years old]].

Unfortunately for Chandagnac, he was far too dim-witted and eccentric to stay hidden, and sometime after transforming Genevieve with the Dark kiss he was hunted down by priests of [[Ulric]] who staked him and then sawed off his head with a silver plated scimitar. Genevieve's sisters meanwhile would end up growing old and dying as unlike her they had remained mortal. Left with nobody from her human family in the world and with a severe bloodlust and superhuman powers, Genevieve went east.

She spent some time in [[Araby]] (the Middle East), and it was not a pleasant experience as part of it was spent as a slave. Eventually, she got her freedom and proceeded through the Warhammer Silk Road and ended up in [[Cathay]], AKA Warhammer China. She became a trader between Cathay and [[Nippon]] (Japan) for a hundred years or so, making her one of the few beings to have ever been to Nippon.

Roughly around this time or maybe a little afterward, she met a master monk named Master Po (showing GW being creative as always). She ends up spending thirty years with him learning to control her bloodlust to the point she required very little to survive as well as learning quite a bit more about the culture of Cathay and those it had met in exchange for telling her own stories to him. He also tried to impart some of his mystic wisdom to her but, by her own admission, she was not very good at throwing around magic and so after teaching her just the basics of it Master Po ended up switching gears and teaching her martial arts. Eventually, Master Po went on to teach important Cathayan generals, but that's not important since GW never bothered making Cathay relevant until [[Total War: Warhammer|Total War: Warhammer 3]]. Centuries would pass after this and during this time Genevieve would continue to travel and find herself working along the way in a variety of roles "...a child of court, a whore, a queen (of what nation is unknown), a soldier (in what army she doesn't say), a musician, a physician, a priestess (though to what diety is never said), an agitator, a gambler, a landowner, a penniless derelict, a herbalist, an outlaw, a bodyguard, a pit fighter, a student, a smuggler, a trapper, an alchemist and a slave.” When and how she got enslaved AGAIN is a mystery but it appears to have been in the Dark Lands judging by an offhand remark of her’s so it probably involved the [[Chaos Dwarfs]]. Despite this little hiccup, her travels were far less difficult then they might have been thanks to the fact that with the exception of a few awkward things like not casting a reflection Gené could easily pass as a human as she was not fatally vulnerable to many of the usual vampire weaknesses like sunlight, running water, garlic, and holy symbols (though fire still hurt and the damage it caused took time to regenerate from, she was weakened in daylight and hated being outside then without sunglasses, and silver could still kill her). Additionally and unknown even to her she was also being aided by the Lahmian Sisterhood who secretly protected her throughout many of her adventures, as they valued her ability to influence the minds of mortals into softening towards Vampires, thus making them all the more pliant and willing slaves when [[Neferata]] would eventually come to make them hers. Thanks to this help Genevieve found herself left her with a great deal of time in between adventures so at some point she took the opportunity to write down an account of her travels in the biographical play "A Life".

[[Image:Genevieve Drachenfels.jpg|right|thumb|150px|She aged pretty well!]]

In any event, after going throughout much of the known world Genevieve finally found herself in [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|The Empire ]] where she came out of the closet as a vampire. Somehow this was acceptable in her case (Newman was fairly loose with canon, although at this early stage of Warhammer's life the canon was pretty loose to begin with), and she mingled in high society until she became bored and frustrated with the pompous nobility (Magnus the Pious, one of the greatest Emperors of the Empire, putting his hand up her dress probably contributed).
After that incident, she slipped into the lower classes of society and ended up working as a barmaid in Altdorf in a bar that secretly catered to vampires called the Crescent Moon for several decades, taking a break only to travel to [[Kislev]] at some point to visit the vampire Tsarina Kattarin since they were both of the same vampire lineage and Genevieve wanted to get to know her. Genevieve would regret this decision though, as she quickly learned firsthand why Lady Melissa had advised against Kattarin being turned into a vampire in the first place, and why Kattarin was known as “Kattarin the Bloody”. Unlike Genevieve, Kattarin was a total monster who had overthrown her husband and liked to bathe in the blood of her courtiers' children and this combined with her rampant cruelty even to her own mortal relatives disturbed the Bretonnian lady so much she quickly abandoned her sister in darkness to her own devices. As Gené later found out she left at the perfect time as Kattarin’s cruelty lead to her downfall shortly after Gené left with Tsarevich Pavel slaying the Tzarina in revenge for the time she chopped off one of his arms. In the wake of Kattarin’s slaying Pavel took the throne, the Tzarina’s corpse was preserved in a block of ice for everyone to see and jeer at, and a Kislevite Vampire hunting society was established and named after Pavel.

Some time after this, during the sixth century of her life, Genevieve was found by the teenage Grand Prince Oswald von Konigswald the son of the Elector Count of Ostland who paid her to join him and his crew in their quest to kill the immortal enchanter [[Drachenfels]], something she was more than willing to do given what he had done to her family and homeland. After losing a few friends along the way and fighting past all the [[Orcs & Goblins|greenskins]]/[[Daemons]]/[[Vampire Counts|Undead]] allied to the big baddy she, Oswald, and the Dwarf Menesh reached Drach's throne room finding it filled with neat stuff like a caged [[harpy]], tons of riches, and shrines mockingly raised to the [[Chaos Gods]] and the Elven murder god [[Khaine]]. While they were distracted by the shiny stuff Drach appeared and proceeded to torment Genevieve by showing her the tortured soul of her father which he had kept magically imprisoned. Drach then proceeded to tear Menesh's arm off (he survived though) before sicking a whole crapload of evil spirits on Genevieve. The attack knocked her unconscious and thus Oswald was forced to fight and apparently kill Drach alone using one of the great Enchanter's own trophies, an ancient sword that had Sigmar's dried blood on it.

After their victory, Genevieve tried to take up traveling again, but after an incident where she and a mercenary stopped a Cathayan devotee of [[Tzeentch]] named Dien Ch'ing and his superiors from carrying out a plot to corrupt a moral crusade and overthrow the Empire of Man, Genevieve decided she needed a break from being a hero and retired to a sanctuary for vampires called "the Convent of the Order of Eternal Night and Solace" for the next quarter-century.

Decades later, Oswald invited her along with their surviving battle buddies and the highest nobility of the time to a play about his defeat of Drachenfels to be held at the Great Enchanter's Castle no less. There she met [[Karl Franz]], whom she took a liking to, and the actress playing her, whom she very much hated. She also found herself attracted to the play's director and main actor Detlef Sierck who had been hired on by Oswald in exchange for Oswald wiping out Detlef's massive debt from an earlier botched production he had been unable to finish. It wasn't till years later that she would realize that part of the reason for her attraction to him was that she had inadvertently met a child aged version of Detlef years prior during that whole mess with the moral crusade and subconsciously recognized him.

Sadly the two new lovers couldn't fully enjoy their time together, as the whole production of the play would prove to be difficult due to it being plagued with disturbing and creepy happenings including the deaths and mutilation of all of Genevieve’s living friends (excluding Oswald who had been traveling with the Emperor up to this point). Things got so bad that Genevieve was forced to replace the actress meant to play her on stage just an hour before curtain rise after the latter was scared off. This, as it happens, would prove to be Genevieve’s one and only role ever as an actress on stage.

Ultimately, it turned out the actress meant to play her might have had the right idea running as during the play’s final act the whole thing was revealed to be an elaborate trap. Years earlier Drachenfels, knowing his latest physical body was decaying had struck a deal with Oswald where he agreed to spare the whimpering teen in exchange for him serving him. Oswald had agreed and Drach had faked his own destruction making Oswald a hero and allowing him to lure all the major players in the Empire to the Enchanter's castle where Drach intended to resurrect and kill off all the leadership in the Empire. The sole exception to this murder-fest would be Oswald who would serve as Drachenfels’ puppet ruler of the Empire. Once all the players were in place Drach began to resurrect in a body Frankensteined out of a combination of the body of the actor playing him (who was in on the whole mess as well) and body parts from Genevieve's friends. A now semi-revived Drach then personally murdered some folks observing things before attacking Genevieve. He intended to drain her blood to finish reviving himself but made the mistake of wounding a protective Detlef in the process. Genevieve then went berserk and furiously attacked Drach damaging his new body enough that it allowed Detlef to get free. Thankfully unlike Oswald years before Detlef wasn't an easily scared pansy and so instead of running, he grabbed a sledgehammer that one of the stagehands had left lying around and came back swinging to protect his vampire lover. Normally this attack would have done jack-all to the immortal enchanter but as it happens [[Sigmar]] had apparently been watching the whole mess unfold and decided to channel his power through Detlef which allowed him to cave the 15,000-year-old bastard's head in and stop his still incomplete resurrection cold.

After the defeat of Drachenfels, Detlef then killed the traitorous Oswald with a sword after the latter botched an attempt to assassinate Karl Franz and his son. With that problem taken care of and his debt wiped clean courtesy of a grateful Empire, Genevieve and Detlef settled down together in Altdorf.

They lived in a newly purchased theatre, the Vargr Breughel Memorial Playhouse (named after a friend of Detlef who died after he was outed as a mutant), where Detlef continued to write plays known the world over from [[Ulthuan]] to [[Lustria]] (though the latter was probably referring to the human settlements there such as the town of Skeggi and not the [[Slann]]). Unfortunately, their fun times were interrupted by an attempt on their lives by a leftover creation of Drachenfels; a magical living mask capable of possessing its wielders called the Animus. Though they defeated it with some help Genevieve was disturbed by this attack and believing she was having a negative influence on Detlef she took up traveling again to protect him. Detlef was highly upset by her vanishing and ended up writing a series of sonnets about her called “To my Unchanging lady” that were widely considered his best work…when they weren’t being suppressed by local authorities.

While Detlef was off grieving for his loss Genevieve was busy traveling through [[Tilea]]. There she found herself trapped within the strange enchantments of the House of Udolpho which was rigged by its master to brainwash everyone who stepped foot in it into constantly acting out ridiculously over the top gothic scenarios forever. Luckily she managed to escape with the aid of several people including the revolutionist Aleksandar Kloszowski whom she ended up accompanying back to the Empire. This proved to not be a good idea though as Kloszowski had a warrant on his head for helping stage the big fog riot in Altdorf some time earlier. As a result Imperial spymaster Mornan Tybalt, the Keeper of the Imperial counting house caught wind of Genevieve’s traveling with the wanted criminal and after capturing her in Middenheim he used her association with Kloszowski to blackmail her. Tybalt threatened her with being imprisoned in silver shackles in Mundsen Keep as well as ruining Detlef and so with his agent Balthus she was sent to kill Tybalt's rival Graf Rudiger von Unheimlich while he was on a unicorn hunt. Fortunately, her target turned out to be a generally terrible person deserving of death and so after finishing him off and the later ousting of Tybalt from the Imperial court she finally returned to Detlef after years apart. Unfortunately, it was just after a vampire hating religious fanatic Antiochus Bland had passed some law to try and set in motion a new war against the undead. After stopping that plan and helping Lady Melissa get the law overturned Gené and Detlef were married by the Arch-Lector of Sigmar no less (the benefits of their being friends with the Emperor and whatnot), however, it proved a short-lived marriage as just over a decade later Detlef would die in his 50s.

===[[End Times]]===

Later it was revealed that Drachenfels was not quite as dead as everyone had hoped. During the End Times he appeared again as a bodiless spirit with no memory of who he was. Turns out getting your head caved in with a divinely enhanced hammer when your only halfway resurrected is a good way to end up with a severe case of amnesia. [[Nagash]] stumbled across Drachenfels and recognizing him from an earlier encounter when he had enlisted his aid against the then mortal Sigmar promised to return Drach’s memories and name to him if he served him as a servant. Fortunately for the undead Bretonnian bar wench, Nagash reneged on his promise, and Drach after angrily switching sides to join [[Chaos]] would find himself put down for good when he made the mistake of possessing a certain very devout Sigmarite priest named Luthor Huss. Though initially in control of his new body a few choice insults by [[Vlad von Carstein]] ultimately managed to awaken the priest’s dormant consciousness and his surging Sigmarite faith seemingly flash-fried the spectral bastard out of existence.

Genevieve herself MAY have had a fleeting unnamed cameo in the lorebook End Times: Nagash. One of the short lore pieces goes into detail about a mysterious meeting that [[Balthasar Gelt]] has with an unnamed woman cloaked in shadow and who basically feeds him the idea and plans for the Auric Bastion to stop the Chaos invasion. This is later revealed to be the minion of Queen [[Neferata]], the top Lahmian vampire, as the Vampires have a vested interest in the world continuing and not being destroyed.

The kicker is that in this meeting Gelt notes that the unnamed girl sounds like a Bretonnian from Parravon or Montfort, is very young and drinks a ruby liquid from a goblet. She also states she does not like her female master. Considering that Genevieve is a notably free-willed and independent Lahmian Vampire from Parravon and that otherwise, all Lahmians revere Neferata, this seems like a suggestive nod from GW to the audience as to who this woman is, though it looks like coincidental evidence, but pretty cool nonetheless. As to WHY Genevieve may want to work for her progenitor Neferata considering she has ignored more malevolent vampires in the past, she could just have an alignment of interests with her in not wanting to see the world ended or it's her way of serving Nagash so he doesn't set her brain on fire inside her skull (like he did with all Vampires who refused to serve him, such as [[Zacharias The Everliving]]) since as a Vampire Genevieve would certainly have felt Nagash's return.

During Karl's ascendance into God Emperorhood during End Times: Archaon, a wave of holy magic radiated through Altdorf and burned away the filth of generations (as well as all daemons and undead). This likely did not include her though as earlier in the book she had been off delivering a message of warning from Neferata to Vlad von Carstein before telling him she intends to go home, something which many people took to mean Bretonnia. In her own words: "My time in this world is coming to an end, just as yours is, and I think I would rather meet it in my homeland." Even if she had come to see Altdorf as her home due to her time with Detlef she likely survived the blast of holy energy despite her undead nature, as according to her novels Karl and his son Luitpold II were rather fond of her thanks to her actions against Drachenfels. Regardless she most definitely was killed when Archaon managed to blow the planet up at the end of the whole End Times mess. As of yet, there has been no trace of her in Age of Sigmar so it’s unclear if her soul made the transition to the new world. UNTIL NOW! Read Gothgul Hollow!

[[Image:Vampire-Genevieve.jpg|right|thumb|150px|]]

==Age of Sigmar==

She has apparently made it up to the Mortal Realms in the story Gothgul Hollow.

==Canon?==

The Drachenfels and Genevieve stories rely on canon that has since been retconned, and any discussion about either will usually start an [[Skub|argument]] over the canonicity of the story. To get a picture of how retconned it is, the Bretonnia of her stories is modeled on the pre-French revolution version that was written over YEARS ago. The fact she's a very popular character in the Warhammer Fantasy communities, and her books are generally regarded as being very well written makes those discussions particularly heated.

Almost every source cites the fact that Vampires are universally reviled in the Warhammer Fantasy universe, and in the Empire being or working with the Undead is a heresy as grave as working with Chaos. Despite this Genevieve is openly a vampire and mingles throughout Empire society. She only receives unease from others rather than being chased with pitchforks, and the [[Witch Hunters]] of the Empire would normally not hesitate to FWIP anyone regardless of their position. For this, the only logical explanation is that she has had the approval of three Emperors, whose authority even the Witch Hunters must obey.

However, the books infer Genevieve's vampirism is an open secret, as she was chased more than once by angry mobs when her vampirism was discovered but managed to sneak away. Furthermore, she had a vampire support group (of other vampires) who let her know if any Witch Hunters were nearby, in which case she'd keep a low profile. It also helped that she only fed on willing people or criminals.

Drachenfels himself is full of canon plot holes, but that can be seen and argued on his own page.

[[Vermintide]]'s Franz Lohner has said he recalls meeting a lady vampire whose name starts with 'G'.

The fact that in the [[End Times]] event Drachenfels is canon suggests however that Genevieve is as well. Then again, in End Times everything, well, ended.

That being said, it's been shown through the works focusing on Nagash that many Undead survived into the new world (at the very least his Mortarchs and their mounts) so she may have persisted into [[Age of Sigmar]] as well, and it's not completely impossible she could be a [[Sigmarine]], as Sigmar has shown he’s not shy about stealing souls from Nagash and he has even managed to convert chaos corrupted souls into Sigmarines. Plus it could be argued that since Sigmar didn’t instantly smite everyone at her marraige ceremony in the old world despite it being officiated by the hammer-Pope he seems at the very least to somewhat approve of her.

==On the Tabletop==

Genevieve, thanks to her globe-trotting lifestyle, could be fluffed into most Order armies. Of course Empire and Bretonnia armies work best, as does the player who fields a homemade Cathayan army. For a model the Bretonnian Damsels or the Vampire maidens off the Coven Throne model work best.
If using End Times rules, then a wizard in [[Lore of Undeath]] works as well.

[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]] [[Category: Vampire Counts]] [[Category: Empire]] [[Category: Bretonnia]][[Category:France]]

Genevieve Sandrine du Pointe du Lac Dieudonné

2022-09-05T23:07:51Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:6D3E:5735:CBBE:C0F8: /* Age of Sigmar */

[[Image:Genevieve-Undead.jpg|left|thumb|400px|]]
A character of a series of books written in the ye olde days of WHFB, by [[Jack Yeovil]], more widely known as the film critic/horror buff Kim Newman. [[Mary Sue|A very old (older than most adult elves) Wuxia, French, Kung Fu, clairvoyant, magical, master barmaid, vampiress who is apparently described as being blonde and green-eyed despite every drawing of her showing her as having dark hair.]] I swear I'm not making this shit up.

==The Legend==

A long time ago, in Parravon there lived a young [[Bretonnia|Bretonnian]] (French) girl who lived in luxury along with the rest of her family. This was due to her father who was a servant to the local knightly lord.
Then [[Drachenfels|a big meanie named Drachenfels]] invaded, killing fuckloads of people and executing all the nobles while plundering the province.
Poor little Genevieve's parents were killed and she and her sisters were forced to live under the care of their uncle in the mostly depopulated dukedom. This continued until she was 16 when a vampire named Chandagnac found her and decided to make her into one of his wives. Chandagnac himself was a servant to Lady Melissa d'Acques, a very prestigious cougar of the [[Queen Neferata|Lahmian]] Bloodline who despite having the [[Anime|body of a young girl of 12 was actually over 1,100 years old]].

Unfortunately for Chandagnac, he was far too dim-witted and eccentric to stay hidden, and sometime after transforming Genevieve with the Dark kiss he was hunted down by priests of [[Ulric]] who staked him and then sawed off his head with a silver plated scimitar. Genevieve's sisters meanwhile would end up growing old and dying as unlike her they had remained mortal. Left with nobody from her human family in the world and with a severe bloodlust and superhuman powers, Genevieve went east.

She spent some time in [[Araby]] (the Middle East), and it was not a pleasant experience as part of it was spent as a slave. Eventually, she got her freedom and proceeded through the Warhammer Silk Road and ended up in [[Cathay]], AKA Warhammer China. She became a trader between Cathay and [[Nippon]] (Japan) for a hundred years or so, making her one of the few beings to have ever been to Nippon.

Roughly around this time or maybe a little afterward, she met a master monk named Master Po (showing GW being creative as always). She ends up spending thirty years with him learning to control her bloodlust to the point she required very little to survive as well as learning quite a bit more about the culture of Cathay and those it had met in exchange for telling her own stories to him. He also tried to impart some of his mystic wisdom to her but, by her own admission, she was not very good at throwing around magic and so after teaching her just the basics of it Master Po ended up switching gears and teaching her martial arts. Eventually, Master Po went on to teach important Cathayan generals, but that's not important since GW never bothered making Cathay relevant until [[Total War: Warhammer|Total War: Warhammer 3]]. Centuries would pass after this and during this time Genevieve would continue to travel and find herself working along the way in a variety of roles "...a child of court, a whore, a queen (of what nation is unknown), a soldier (in what army she doesn't say), a musician, a physician, a priestess (though to what diety is never said), an agitator, a gambler, a landowner, a penniless derelict, a herbalist, an outlaw, a bodyguard, a pit fighter, a student, a smuggler, a trapper, an alchemist and a slave.” When and how she got enslaved AGAIN is a mystery but it appears to have been in the Dark Lands judging by an offhand remark of her’s so it probably involved the [[Chaos Dwarfs]]. Despite this little hiccup, her travels were far less difficult then they might have been thanks to the fact that with the exception of a few awkward things like not casting a reflection Gené could easily pass as a human as she was not fatally vulnerable to many of the usual vampire weaknesses like sunlight, running water, garlic, and holy symbols (though fire still hurt and the damage it caused took time to regenerate from, she was weakened in daylight and hated being outside then without sunglasses, and silver could still kill her). Additionally and unknown even to her she was also being aided by the Lahmian Sisterhood who secretly protected her throughout many of her adventures, as they valued her ability to influence the minds of mortals into softening towards Vampires, thus making them all the more pliant and willing slaves when [[Neferata]] would eventually come to make them hers. Thanks to this help Genevieve found herself left her with a great deal of time in between adventures so at some point she took the opportunity to write down an account of her travels in the biographical play "A Life".

[[Image:Genevieve Drachenfels.jpg|right|thumb|150px|She aged pretty well!]]

In any event, after going throughout much of the known world Genevieve finally found herself in [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|The Empire ]] where she came out of the closet as a vampire. Somehow this was acceptable in her case (Newman was fairly loose with canon, although at this early stage of Warhammer's life the canon was pretty loose to begin with), and she mingled in high society until she became bored and frustrated with the pompous nobility (Magnus the Pious, one of the greatest Emperors of the Empire, putting his hand up her dress probably contributed).
After that incident, she slipped into the lower classes of society and ended up working as a barmaid in Altdorf in a bar that secretly catered to vampires called the Crescent Moon for several decades, taking a break only to travel to [[Kislev]] at some point to visit the vampire Tsarina Kattarin since they were both of the same vampire lineage and Genevieve wanted to get to know her. Genevieve would regret this decision though, as she quickly learned firsthand why Lady Melissa had advised against Kattarin being turned into a vampire in the first place, and why Kattarin was known as “Kattarin the Bloody”. Unlike Genevieve, Kattarin was a total monster who had overthrown her husband and liked to bathe in the blood of her courtiers' children and this combined with her rampant cruelty even to her own mortal relatives disturbed the Bretonnian lady so much she quickly abandoned her sister in darkness to her own devices. As Gené later found out she left at the perfect time as Kattarin’s cruelty lead to her downfall shortly after Gené left with Tsarevich Pavel slaying the Tzarina in revenge for the time she chopped off one of his arms. In the wake of Kattarin’s slaying Pavel took the throne, the Tzarina’s corpse was preserved in a block of ice for everyone to see and jeer at, and a Kislevite Vampire hunting society was established and named after Pavel.

Some time after this, during the sixth century of her life, Genevieve was found by the teenage Grand Prince Oswald von Konigswald the son of the Elector Count of Ostland who paid her to join him and his crew in their quest to kill the immortal enchanter [[Drachenfels]], something she was more than willing to do given what he had done to her family and homeland. After losing a few friends along the way and fighting past all the [[Orcs & Goblins|greenskins]]/[[Daemons]]/[[Vampire Counts|Undead]] allied to the big baddy she, Oswald, and the Dwarf Menesh reached Drach's throne room finding it filled with neat stuff like a caged [[harpy]], tons of riches, and shrines mockingly raised to the [[Chaos Gods]] and the Elven murder god [[Khaine]]. While they were distracted by the shiny stuff Drach appeared and proceeded to torment Genevieve by showing her the tortured soul of her father which he had kept magically imprisoned. Drach then proceeded to tear Menesh's arm off (he survived though) before sicking a whole crapload of evil spirits on Genevieve. The attack knocked her unconscious and thus Oswald was forced to fight and apparently kill Drach alone using one of the great Enchanter's own trophies, an ancient sword that had Sigmar's dried blood on it.

After their victory, Genevieve tried to take up traveling again, but after an incident where she and a mercenary stopped a Cathayan devotee of [[Tzeentch]] named Dien Ch'ing and his superiors from carrying out a plot to corrupt a moral crusade and overthrow the Empire of Man, Genevieve decided she needed a break from being a hero and retired to a sanctuary for vampires called "the Convent of the Order of Eternal Night and Solace" for the next quarter-century.

Decades later, Oswald invited her along with their surviving battle buddies and the highest nobility of the time to a play about his defeat of Drachenfels to be held at the Great Enchanter's Castle no less. There she met [[Karl Franz]], whom she took a liking to, and the actress playing her, whom she very much hated. She also found herself attracted to the play's director and main actor Detlef Sierck who had been hired on by Oswald in exchange for Oswald wiping out Detlef's massive debt from an earlier botched production he had been unable to finish. It wasn't till years later that she would realize that part of the reason for her attraction to him was that she had inadvertently met a child aged version of Detlef years prior during that whole mess with the moral crusade and subconsciously recognized him.

Sadly the two new lovers couldn't fully enjoy their time together, as the whole production of the play would prove to be difficult due to it being plagued with disturbing and creepy happenings including the deaths and mutilation of all of Genevieve’s living friends (excluding Oswald who had been traveling with the Emperor up to this point). Things got so bad that Genevieve was forced to replace the actress meant to play her on stage just an hour before curtain rise after the latter was scared off. This, as it happens, would prove to be Genevieve’s one and only role ever as an actress on stage.

Ultimately, it turned out the actress meant to play her might have had the right idea running as during the play’s final act the whole thing was revealed to be an elaborate trap. Years earlier Drachenfels, knowing his latest physical body was decaying had struck a deal with Oswald where he agreed to spare the whimpering teen in exchange for him serving him. Oswald had agreed and Drach had faked his own destruction making Oswald a hero and allowing him to lure all the major players in the Empire to the Enchanter's castle where Drach intended to resurrect and kill off all the leadership in the Empire. The sole exception to this murder-fest would be Oswald who would serve as Drachenfels’ puppet ruler of the Empire. Once all the players were in place Drach began to resurrect in a body Frankensteined out of a combination of the body of the actor playing him (who was in on the whole mess as well) and body parts from Genevieve's friends. A now semi-revived Drach then personally murdered some folks observing things before attacking Genevieve. He intended to drain her blood to finish reviving himself but made the mistake of wounding a protective Detlef in the process. Genevieve then went berserk and furiously attacked Drach damaging his new body enough that it allowed Detlef to get free. Thankfully unlike Oswald years before Detlef wasn't an easily scared pansy and so instead of running, he grabbed a sledgehammer that one of the stagehands had left lying around and came back swinging to protect his vampire lover. Normally this attack would have done jack-all to the immortal enchanter but as it happens [[Sigmar]] had apparently been watching the whole mess unfold and decided to channel his power through Detlef which allowed him to cave the 15,000-year-old bastard's head in and stop his still incomplete resurrection cold.

After the defeat of Drachenfels, Detlef then killed the traitorous Oswald with a sword after the latter botched an attempt to assassinate Karl Franz and his son. With that problem taken care of and his debt wiped clean courtesy of a grateful Empire, Genevieve and Detlef settled down together in Altdorf.

They lived in a newly purchased theatre, the Vargr Breughel Memorial Playhouse (named after a friend of Detlef who died after he was outed as a mutant), where Detlef continued to write plays known the world over from [[Ulthuan]] to [[Lustria]] (though the latter was probably referring to the human settlements there such as the town of Skeggi and not the [[Slann]]). Unfortunately, their fun times were interrupted by an attempt on their lives by a leftover creation of Drachenfels; a magical living mask capable of possessing its wielders called the Animus. Though they defeated it with some help Genevieve was disturbed by this attack and believing she was having a negative influence on Detlef she took up traveling again to protect him. Detlef was highly upset by her vanishing and ended up writing a series of sonnets about her called “To my Unchanging lady” that were widely considered his best work…when they weren’t being suppressed by local authorities.

While Detlef was off grieving for his loss Genevieve was busy traveling through [[Tilea]]. There she found herself trapped within the strange enchantments of the House of Udolpho which was rigged by its master to brainwash everyone who stepped foot in it into constantly acting out ridiculously over the top gothic scenarios forever. Luckily she managed to escape with the aid of several people including the revolutionist Aleksandar Kloszowski whom she ended up accompanying back to the Empire. This proved to not be a good idea though as Kloszowski had a warrant on his head for helping stage the big fog riot in Altdorf some time earlier. As a result Imperial spymaster Mornan Tybalt, the Keeper of the Imperial counting house caught wind of Genevieve’s traveling with the wanted criminal and after capturing her in Middenheim he used her association with Kloszowski to blackmail her. Tybalt threatened her with being imprisoned in silver shackles in Mundsen Keep as well as ruining Detlef and so with his agent Balthus she was sent to kill Tybalt's rival Graf Rudiger von Unheimlich while he was on a unicorn hunt. Fortunately, her target turned out to be a generally terrible person deserving of death and so after finishing him off and the later ousting of Tybalt from the Imperial court she finally returned to Detlef after years apart. Unfortunately, it was just after a vampire hating religious fanatic Antiochus Bland had passed some law to try and set in motion a new war against the undead. After stopping that plan and helping Lady Melissa get the law overturned Gené and Detlef were married by the Arch-Lector of Sigmar no less (the benefits of their being friends with the Emperor and whatnot), however, it proved a short-lived marriage as just over a decade later Detlef would die in his 50s.

===[[End Times]]===

Later it was revealed that Drachenfels was not quite as dead as everyone had hoped. During the End Times he appeared again as a bodiless spirit with no memory of who he was. Turns out getting your head caved in with a divinely enhanced hammer when your only halfway resurrected is a good way to end up with a severe case of amnesia. [[Nagash]] stumbled across Drachenfels and recognizing him from an earlier encounter when he had enlisted his aid against the then mortal Sigmar promised to return Drach’s memories and name to him if he served him as a servant. Fortunately for the undead Bretonnian bar wench, Nagash reneged on his promise, and Drach after angrily switching sides to join [[Chaos]] would find himself put down for good when he made the mistake of possessing a certain very devout Sigmarite priest named Luthor Huss. Though initially in control of his new body a few choice insults by [[Vlad von Carstein]] ultimately managed to awaken the priest’s dormant consciousness and his surging Sigmarite faith seemingly flash-fried the spectral bastard out of existence.

Genevieve herself MAY have had a fleeting unnamed cameo in the lorebook End Times: Nagash. One of the short lore pieces goes into detail about a mysterious meeting that [[Balthasar Gelt]] has with an unnamed woman cloaked in shadow and who basically feeds him the idea and plans for the Auric Bastion to stop the Chaos invasion. This is later revealed to be the minion of Queen [[Neferata]], the top Lahmian vampire, as the Vampires have a vested interest in the world continuing and not being destroyed.

The kicker is that in this meeting Gelt notes that the unnamed girl sounds like a Bretonnian from Parravon or Montfort, is very young and drinks a ruby liquid from a goblet. She also states she does not like her female master. Considering that Genevieve is a notably free-willed and independent Lahmian Vampire from Parravon and that otherwise, all Lahmians revere Neferata, this seems like a suggestive nod from GW to the audience as to who this woman is, though it looks like coincidental evidence, but pretty cool nonetheless. As to WHY Genevieve may want to work for her progenitor Neferata considering she has ignored more malevolent vampires in the past, she could just have an alignment of interests with her in not wanting to see the world ended or it's her way of serving Nagash so he doesn't set her brain on fire inside her skull (like he did with all Vampires who refused to serve him, such as [[Zacharias The Everliving]]) since as a Vampire Genevieve would certainly have felt Nagash's return.

During Karl's ascendance into God Emperorhood during End Times: Archaon, a wave of holy magic radiated through Altdorf and burned away the filth of generations (as well as all daemons and undead). This likely did not include her though as earlier in the book she had been off delivering a message of warning from Neferata to Vlad von Carstein before telling him she intends to go home, something which many people took to mean Bretonnia. In her own words: "My time in this world is coming to an end, just as yours is, and I think I would rather meet it in my homeland." Even if she had come to see Altdorf as her home due to her time with Detlef she likely survived the blast of holy energy despite her undead nature, as according to her novels Karl and his son Luitpold II were rather fond of her thanks to her actions against Drachenfels. Regardless she most definitely was killed when Archaon managed to blow the planet up at the end of the whole End Times mess. As of yet, there has been no trace of her in Age of Sigmar so it’s unclear if her soul made the transition to the new world. UNTIL NOW! Read Gothgul's Hollow!

[[Image:Vampire-Genevieve.jpg|right|thumb|150px|]]

==Age of Sigmar==

She has apparently made it up to the Mortal Realms in the story Gothgul Hollow.

==Canon?==

The Drachenfels and Genevieve stories rely on canon that has since been retconned, and any discussion about either will usually start an [[Skub|argument]] over the canonicity of the story. To get a picture of how retconned it is, the Bretonnia of her stories is modeled on the pre-French revolution version that was written over YEARS ago. The fact she's a very popular character in the Warhammer Fantasy communities, and her books are generally regarded as being very well written makes those discussions particularly heated.

Almost every source cites the fact that Vampires are universally reviled in the Warhammer Fantasy universe, and in the Empire being or working with the Undead is a heresy as grave as working with Chaos. Despite this Genevieve is openly a vampire and mingles throughout Empire society. She only receives unease from others rather than being chased with pitchforks, and the [[Witch Hunters]] of the Empire would normally not hesitate to FWIP anyone regardless of their position. For this, the only logical explanation is that she has had the approval of three Emperors, whose authority even the Witch Hunters must obey.

However, the books infer Genevieve's vampirism is an open secret, as she was chased more than once by angry mobs when her vampirism was discovered but managed to sneak away. Furthermore, she had a vampire support group (of other vampires) who let her know if any Witch Hunters were nearby, in which case she'd keep a low profile. It also helped that she only fed on willing people or criminals.

Drachenfels himself is full of canon plot holes, but that can be seen and argued on his own page.

[[Vermintide]]'s Franz Lohner has said he recalls meeting a lady vampire whose name starts with 'G'.

The fact that in the [[End Times]] event Drachenfels is canon suggests however that Genevieve is as well. Then again, in End Times everything, well, ended.

That being said, it's been shown through the works focusing on Nagash that many Undead survived into the new world (at the very least his Mortarchs and their mounts) so she may have persisted into [[Age of Sigmar]] as well, and it's not completely impossible she could be a [[Sigmarine]], as Sigmar has shown he’s not shy about stealing souls from Nagash and he has even managed to convert chaos corrupted souls into Sigmarines. Plus it could be argued that since Sigmar didn’t instantly smite everyone at her marraige ceremony in the old world despite it being officiated by the hammer-Pope he seems at the very least to somewhat approve of her.

==On the Tabletop==

Genevieve, thanks to her globe-trotting lifestyle, could be fluffed into most Order armies. Of course Empire and Bretonnia armies work best, as does the player who fields a homemade Cathayan army. For a model the Bretonnian Damsels or the Vampire maidens off the Coven Throne model work best.
If using End Times rules, then a wizard in [[Lore of Undeath]] works as well.

[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]] [[Category: Vampire Counts]] [[Category: Empire]] [[Category: Bretonnia]][[Category:France]]

Genevieve Sandrine du Pointe du Lac Dieudonné

2022-09-05T23:07:31Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:6D3E:5735:CBBE:C0F8: /* Age of Sigmar */

[[Image:Genevieve-Undead.jpg|left|thumb|400px|]]
A character of a series of books written in the ye olde days of WHFB, by [[Jack Yeovil]], more widely known as the film critic/horror buff Kim Newman. [[Mary Sue|A very old (older than most adult elves) Wuxia, French, Kung Fu, clairvoyant, magical, master barmaid, vampiress who is apparently described as being blonde and green-eyed despite every drawing of her showing her as having dark hair.]] I swear I'm not making this shit up.

==The Legend==

A long time ago, in Parravon there lived a young [[Bretonnia|Bretonnian]] (French) girl who lived in luxury along with the rest of her family. This was due to her father who was a servant to the local knightly lord.
Then [[Drachenfels|a big meanie named Drachenfels]] invaded, killing fuckloads of people and executing all the nobles while plundering the province.
Poor little Genevieve's parents were killed and she and her sisters were forced to live under the care of their uncle in the mostly depopulated dukedom. This continued until she was 16 when a vampire named Chandagnac found her and decided to make her into one of his wives. Chandagnac himself was a servant to Lady Melissa d'Acques, a very prestigious cougar of the [[Queen Neferata|Lahmian]] Bloodline who despite having the [[Anime|body of a young girl of 12 was actually over 1,100 years old]].

Unfortunately for Chandagnac, he was far too dim-witted and eccentric to stay hidden, and sometime after transforming Genevieve with the Dark kiss he was hunted down by priests of [[Ulric]] who staked him and then sawed off his head with a silver plated scimitar. Genevieve's sisters meanwhile would end up growing old and dying as unlike her they had remained mortal. Left with nobody from her human family in the world and with a severe bloodlust and superhuman powers, Genevieve went east.

She spent some time in [[Araby]] (the Middle East), and it was not a pleasant experience as part of it was spent as a slave. Eventually, she got her freedom and proceeded through the Warhammer Silk Road and ended up in [[Cathay]], AKA Warhammer China. She became a trader between Cathay and [[Nippon]] (Japan) for a hundred years or so, making her one of the few beings to have ever been to Nippon.

Roughly around this time or maybe a little afterward, she met a master monk named Master Po (showing GW being creative as always). She ends up spending thirty years with him learning to control her bloodlust to the point she required very little to survive as well as learning quite a bit more about the culture of Cathay and those it had met in exchange for telling her own stories to him. He also tried to impart some of his mystic wisdom to her but, by her own admission, she was not very good at throwing around magic and so after teaching her just the basics of it Master Po ended up switching gears and teaching her martial arts. Eventually, Master Po went on to teach important Cathayan generals, but that's not important since GW never bothered making Cathay relevant until [[Total War: Warhammer|Total War: Warhammer 3]]. Centuries would pass after this and during this time Genevieve would continue to travel and find herself working along the way in a variety of roles "...a child of court, a whore, a queen (of what nation is unknown), a soldier (in what army she doesn't say), a musician, a physician, a priestess (though to what diety is never said), an agitator, a gambler, a landowner, a penniless derelict, a herbalist, an outlaw, a bodyguard, a pit fighter, a student, a smuggler, a trapper, an alchemist and a slave.” When and how she got enslaved AGAIN is a mystery but it appears to have been in the Dark Lands judging by an offhand remark of her’s so it probably involved the [[Chaos Dwarfs]]. Despite this little hiccup, her travels were far less difficult then they might have been thanks to the fact that with the exception of a few awkward things like not casting a reflection Gené could easily pass as a human as she was not fatally vulnerable to many of the usual vampire weaknesses like sunlight, running water, garlic, and holy symbols (though fire still hurt and the damage it caused took time to regenerate from, she was weakened in daylight and hated being outside then without sunglasses, and silver could still kill her). Additionally and unknown even to her she was also being aided by the Lahmian Sisterhood who secretly protected her throughout many of her adventures, as they valued her ability to influence the minds of mortals into softening towards Vampires, thus making them all the more pliant and willing slaves when [[Neferata]] would eventually come to make them hers. Thanks to this help Genevieve found herself left her with a great deal of time in between adventures so at some point she took the opportunity to write down an account of her travels in the biographical play "A Life".

[[Image:Genevieve Drachenfels.jpg|right|thumb|150px|She aged pretty well!]]

In any event, after going throughout much of the known world Genevieve finally found herself in [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|The Empire ]] where she came out of the closet as a vampire. Somehow this was acceptable in her case (Newman was fairly loose with canon, although at this early stage of Warhammer's life the canon was pretty loose to begin with), and she mingled in high society until she became bored and frustrated with the pompous nobility (Magnus the Pious, one of the greatest Emperors of the Empire, putting his hand up her dress probably contributed).
After that incident, she slipped into the lower classes of society and ended up working as a barmaid in Altdorf in a bar that secretly catered to vampires called the Crescent Moon for several decades, taking a break only to travel to [[Kislev]] at some point to visit the vampire Tsarina Kattarin since they were both of the same vampire lineage and Genevieve wanted to get to know her. Genevieve would regret this decision though, as she quickly learned firsthand why Lady Melissa had advised against Kattarin being turned into a vampire in the first place, and why Kattarin was known as “Kattarin the Bloody”. Unlike Genevieve, Kattarin was a total monster who had overthrown her husband and liked to bathe in the blood of her courtiers' children and this combined with her rampant cruelty even to her own mortal relatives disturbed the Bretonnian lady so much she quickly abandoned her sister in darkness to her own devices. As Gené later found out she left at the perfect time as Kattarin’s cruelty lead to her downfall shortly after Gené left with Tsarevich Pavel slaying the Tzarina in revenge for the time she chopped off one of his arms. In the wake of Kattarin’s slaying Pavel took the throne, the Tzarina’s corpse was preserved in a block of ice for everyone to see and jeer at, and a Kislevite Vampire hunting society was established and named after Pavel.

Some time after this, during the sixth century of her life, Genevieve was found by the teenage Grand Prince Oswald von Konigswald the son of the Elector Count of Ostland who paid her to join him and his crew in their quest to kill the immortal enchanter [[Drachenfels]], something she was more than willing to do given what he had done to her family and homeland. After losing a few friends along the way and fighting past all the [[Orcs & Goblins|greenskins]]/[[Daemons]]/[[Vampire Counts|Undead]] allied to the big baddy she, Oswald, and the Dwarf Menesh reached Drach's throne room finding it filled with neat stuff like a caged [[harpy]], tons of riches, and shrines mockingly raised to the [[Chaos Gods]] and the Elven murder god [[Khaine]]. While they were distracted by the shiny stuff Drach appeared and proceeded to torment Genevieve by showing her the tortured soul of her father which he had kept magically imprisoned. Drach then proceeded to tear Menesh's arm off (he survived though) before sicking a whole crapload of evil spirits on Genevieve. The attack knocked her unconscious and thus Oswald was forced to fight and apparently kill Drach alone using one of the great Enchanter's own trophies, an ancient sword that had Sigmar's dried blood on it.

After their victory, Genevieve tried to take up traveling again, but after an incident where she and a mercenary stopped a Cathayan devotee of [[Tzeentch]] named Dien Ch'ing and his superiors from carrying out a plot to corrupt a moral crusade and overthrow the Empire of Man, Genevieve decided she needed a break from being a hero and retired to a sanctuary for vampires called "the Convent of the Order of Eternal Night and Solace" for the next quarter-century.

Decades later, Oswald invited her along with their surviving battle buddies and the highest nobility of the time to a play about his defeat of Drachenfels to be held at the Great Enchanter's Castle no less. There she met [[Karl Franz]], whom she took a liking to, and the actress playing her, whom she very much hated. She also found herself attracted to the play's director and main actor Detlef Sierck who had been hired on by Oswald in exchange for Oswald wiping out Detlef's massive debt from an earlier botched production he had been unable to finish. It wasn't till years later that she would realize that part of the reason for her attraction to him was that she had inadvertently met a child aged version of Detlef years prior during that whole mess with the moral crusade and subconsciously recognized him.

Sadly the two new lovers couldn't fully enjoy their time together, as the whole production of the play would prove to be difficult due to it being plagued with disturbing and creepy happenings including the deaths and mutilation of all of Genevieve’s living friends (excluding Oswald who had been traveling with the Emperor up to this point). Things got so bad that Genevieve was forced to replace the actress meant to play her on stage just an hour before curtain rise after the latter was scared off. This, as it happens, would prove to be Genevieve’s one and only role ever as an actress on stage.

Ultimately, it turned out the actress meant to play her might have had the right idea running as during the play’s final act the whole thing was revealed to be an elaborate trap. Years earlier Drachenfels, knowing his latest physical body was decaying had struck a deal with Oswald where he agreed to spare the whimpering teen in exchange for him serving him. Oswald had agreed and Drach had faked his own destruction making Oswald a hero and allowing him to lure all the major players in the Empire to the Enchanter's castle where Drach intended to resurrect and kill off all the leadership in the Empire. The sole exception to this murder-fest would be Oswald who would serve as Drachenfels’ puppet ruler of the Empire. Once all the players were in place Drach began to resurrect in a body Frankensteined out of a combination of the body of the actor playing him (who was in on the whole mess as well) and body parts from Genevieve's friends. A now semi-revived Drach then personally murdered some folks observing things before attacking Genevieve. He intended to drain her blood to finish reviving himself but made the mistake of wounding a protective Detlef in the process. Genevieve then went berserk and furiously attacked Drach damaging his new body enough that it allowed Detlef to get free. Thankfully unlike Oswald years before Detlef wasn't an easily scared pansy and so instead of running, he grabbed a sledgehammer that one of the stagehands had left lying around and came back swinging to protect his vampire lover. Normally this attack would have done jack-all to the immortal enchanter but as it happens [[Sigmar]] had apparently been watching the whole mess unfold and decided to channel his power through Detlef which allowed him to cave the 15,000-year-old bastard's head in and stop his still incomplete resurrection cold.

After the defeat of Drachenfels, Detlef then killed the traitorous Oswald with a sword after the latter botched an attempt to assassinate Karl Franz and his son. With that problem taken care of and his debt wiped clean courtesy of a grateful Empire, Genevieve and Detlef settled down together in Altdorf.

They lived in a newly purchased theatre, the Vargr Breughel Memorial Playhouse (named after a friend of Detlef who died after he was outed as a mutant), where Detlef continued to write plays known the world over from [[Ulthuan]] to [[Lustria]] (though the latter was probably referring to the human settlements there such as the town of Skeggi and not the [[Slann]]). Unfortunately, their fun times were interrupted by an attempt on their lives by a leftover creation of Drachenfels; a magical living mask capable of possessing its wielders called the Animus. Though they defeated it with some help Genevieve was disturbed by this attack and believing she was having a negative influence on Detlef she took up traveling again to protect him. Detlef was highly upset by her vanishing and ended up writing a series of sonnets about her called “To my Unchanging lady” that were widely considered his best work…when they weren’t being suppressed by local authorities.

While Detlef was off grieving for his loss Genevieve was busy traveling through [[Tilea]]. There she found herself trapped within the strange enchantments of the House of Udolpho which was rigged by its master to brainwash everyone who stepped foot in it into constantly acting out ridiculously over the top gothic scenarios forever. Luckily she managed to escape with the aid of several people including the revolutionist Aleksandar Kloszowski whom she ended up accompanying back to the Empire. This proved to not be a good idea though as Kloszowski had a warrant on his head for helping stage the big fog riot in Altdorf some time earlier. As a result Imperial spymaster Mornan Tybalt, the Keeper of the Imperial counting house caught wind of Genevieve’s traveling with the wanted criminal and after capturing her in Middenheim he used her association with Kloszowski to blackmail her. Tybalt threatened her with being imprisoned in silver shackles in Mundsen Keep as well as ruining Detlef and so with his agent Balthus she was sent to kill Tybalt's rival Graf Rudiger von Unheimlich while he was on a unicorn hunt. Fortunately, her target turned out to be a generally terrible person deserving of death and so after finishing him off and the later ousting of Tybalt from the Imperial court she finally returned to Detlef after years apart. Unfortunately, it was just after a vampire hating religious fanatic Antiochus Bland had passed some law to try and set in motion a new war against the undead. After stopping that plan and helping Lady Melissa get the law overturned Gené and Detlef were married by the Arch-Lector of Sigmar no less (the benefits of their being friends with the Emperor and whatnot), however, it proved a short-lived marriage as just over a decade later Detlef would die in his 50s.

===[[End Times]]===

Later it was revealed that Drachenfels was not quite as dead as everyone had hoped. During the End Times he appeared again as a bodiless spirit with no memory of who he was. Turns out getting your head caved in with a divinely enhanced hammer when your only halfway resurrected is a good way to end up with a severe case of amnesia. [[Nagash]] stumbled across Drachenfels and recognizing him from an earlier encounter when he had enlisted his aid against the then mortal Sigmar promised to return Drach’s memories and name to him if he served him as a servant. Fortunately for the undead Bretonnian bar wench, Nagash reneged on his promise, and Drach after angrily switching sides to join [[Chaos]] would find himself put down for good when he made the mistake of possessing a certain very devout Sigmarite priest named Luthor Huss. Though initially in control of his new body a few choice insults by [[Vlad von Carstein]] ultimately managed to awaken the priest’s dormant consciousness and his surging Sigmarite faith seemingly flash-fried the spectral bastard out of existence.

Genevieve herself MAY have had a fleeting unnamed cameo in the lorebook End Times: Nagash. One of the short lore pieces goes into detail about a mysterious meeting that [[Balthasar Gelt]] has with an unnamed woman cloaked in shadow and who basically feeds him the idea and plans for the Auric Bastion to stop the Chaos invasion. This is later revealed to be the minion of Queen [[Neferata]], the top Lahmian vampire, as the Vampires have a vested interest in the world continuing and not being destroyed.

The kicker is that in this meeting Gelt notes that the unnamed girl sounds like a Bretonnian from Parravon or Montfort, is very young and drinks a ruby liquid from a goblet. She also states she does not like her female master. Considering that Genevieve is a notably free-willed and independent Lahmian Vampire from Parravon and that otherwise, all Lahmians revere Neferata, this seems like a suggestive nod from GW to the audience as to who this woman is, though it looks like coincidental evidence, but pretty cool nonetheless. As to WHY Genevieve may want to work for her progenitor Neferata considering she has ignored more malevolent vampires in the past, she could just have an alignment of interests with her in not wanting to see the world ended or it's her way of serving Nagash so he doesn't set her brain on fire inside her skull (like he did with all Vampires who refused to serve him, such as [[Zacharias The Everliving]]) since as a Vampire Genevieve would certainly have felt Nagash's return.

During Karl's ascendance into God Emperorhood during End Times: Archaon, a wave of holy magic radiated through Altdorf and burned away the filth of generations (as well as all daemons and undead). This likely did not include her though as earlier in the book she had been off delivering a message of warning from Neferata to Vlad von Carstein before telling him she intends to go home, something which many people took to mean Bretonnia. In her own words: "My time in this world is coming to an end, just as yours is, and I think I would rather meet it in my homeland." Even if she had come to see Altdorf as her home due to her time with Detlef she likely survived the blast of holy energy despite her undead nature, as according to her novels Karl and his son Luitpold II were rather fond of her thanks to her actions against Drachenfels. Regardless she most definitely was killed when Archaon managed to blow the planet up at the end of the whole End Times mess. As of yet, there has been no trace of her in Age of Sigmar so it’s unclear if her soul made the transition to the new world. UNTIL NOW! Read Gothgul's Hollow!

[[Image:Vampire-Genevieve.jpg|right|thumb|150px|]]

==Age of Sigmar==

She has apparently made it up to the Mortal Realms in the story Gothgul's Hollow.

==Canon?==

The Drachenfels and Genevieve stories rely on canon that has since been retconned, and any discussion about either will usually start an [[Skub|argument]] over the canonicity of the story. To get a picture of how retconned it is, the Bretonnia of her stories is modeled on the pre-French revolution version that was written over YEARS ago. The fact she's a very popular character in the Warhammer Fantasy communities, and her books are generally regarded as being very well written makes those discussions particularly heated.

Almost every source cites the fact that Vampires are universally reviled in the Warhammer Fantasy universe, and in the Empire being or working with the Undead is a heresy as grave as working with Chaos. Despite this Genevieve is openly a vampire and mingles throughout Empire society. She only receives unease from others rather than being chased with pitchforks, and the [[Witch Hunters]] of the Empire would normally not hesitate to FWIP anyone regardless of their position. For this, the only logical explanation is that she has had the approval of three Emperors, whose authority even the Witch Hunters must obey.

However, the books infer Genevieve's vampirism is an open secret, as she was chased more than once by angry mobs when her vampirism was discovered but managed to sneak away. Furthermore, she had a vampire support group (of other vampires) who let her know if any Witch Hunters were nearby, in which case she'd keep a low profile. It also helped that she only fed on willing people or criminals.

Drachenfels himself is full of canon plot holes, but that can be seen and argued on his own page.

[[Vermintide]]'s Franz Lohner has said he recalls meeting a lady vampire whose name starts with 'G'.

The fact that in the [[End Times]] event Drachenfels is canon suggests however that Genevieve is as well. Then again, in End Times everything, well, ended.

That being said, it's been shown through the works focusing on Nagash that many Undead survived into the new world (at the very least his Mortarchs and their mounts) so she may have persisted into [[Age of Sigmar]] as well, and it's not completely impossible she could be a [[Sigmarine]], as Sigmar has shown he’s not shy about stealing souls from Nagash and he has even managed to convert chaos corrupted souls into Sigmarines. Plus it could be argued that since Sigmar didn’t instantly smite everyone at her marraige ceremony in the old world despite it being officiated by the hammer-Pope he seems at the very least to somewhat approve of her.

==On the Tabletop==

Genevieve, thanks to her globe-trotting lifestyle, could be fluffed into most Order armies. Of course Empire and Bretonnia armies work best, as does the player who fields a homemade Cathayan army. For a model the Bretonnian Damsels or the Vampire maidens off the Coven Throne model work best.
If using End Times rules, then a wizard in [[Lore of Undeath]] works as well.

[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]] [[Category: Vampire Counts]] [[Category: Empire]] [[Category: Bretonnia]][[Category:France]]

Genevieve Sandrine du Pointe du Lac Dieudonné

2022-09-05T23:06:52Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:6D3E:5735:CBBE:C0F8: /* The Legend */

[[Image:Genevieve-Undead.jpg|left|thumb|400px|]]
A character of a series of books written in the ye olde days of WHFB, by [[Jack Yeovil]], more widely known as the film critic/horror buff Kim Newman. [[Mary Sue|A very old (older than most adult elves) Wuxia, French, Kung Fu, clairvoyant, magical, master barmaid, vampiress who is apparently described as being blonde and green-eyed despite every drawing of her showing her as having dark hair.]] I swear I'm not making this shit up.

==The Legend==

A long time ago, in Parravon there lived a young [[Bretonnia|Bretonnian]] (French) girl who lived in luxury along with the rest of her family. This was due to her father who was a servant to the local knightly lord.
Then [[Drachenfels|a big meanie named Drachenfels]] invaded, killing fuckloads of people and executing all the nobles while plundering the province.
Poor little Genevieve's parents were killed and she and her sisters were forced to live under the care of their uncle in the mostly depopulated dukedom. This continued until she was 16 when a vampire named Chandagnac found her and decided to make her into one of his wives. Chandagnac himself was a servant to Lady Melissa d'Acques, a very prestigious cougar of the [[Queen Neferata|Lahmian]] Bloodline who despite having the [[Anime|body of a young girl of 12 was actually over 1,100 years old]].

Unfortunately for Chandagnac, he was far too dim-witted and eccentric to stay hidden, and sometime after transforming Genevieve with the Dark kiss he was hunted down by priests of [[Ulric]] who staked him and then sawed off his head with a silver plated scimitar. Genevieve's sisters meanwhile would end up growing old and dying as unlike her they had remained mortal. Left with nobody from her human family in the world and with a severe bloodlust and superhuman powers, Genevieve went east.

She spent some time in [[Araby]] (the Middle East), and it was not a pleasant experience as part of it was spent as a slave. Eventually, she got her freedom and proceeded through the Warhammer Silk Road and ended up in [[Cathay]], AKA Warhammer China. She became a trader between Cathay and [[Nippon]] (Japan) for a hundred years or so, making her one of the few beings to have ever been to Nippon.

Roughly around this time or maybe a little afterward, she met a master monk named Master Po (showing GW being creative as always). She ends up spending thirty years with him learning to control her bloodlust to the point she required very little to survive as well as learning quite a bit more about the culture of Cathay and those it had met in exchange for telling her own stories to him. He also tried to impart some of his mystic wisdom to her but, by her own admission, she was not very good at throwing around magic and so after teaching her just the basics of it Master Po ended up switching gears and teaching her martial arts. Eventually, Master Po went on to teach important Cathayan generals, but that's not important since GW never bothered making Cathay relevant until [[Total War: Warhammer|Total War: Warhammer 3]]. Centuries would pass after this and during this time Genevieve would continue to travel and find herself working along the way in a variety of roles "...a child of court, a whore, a queen (of what nation is unknown), a soldier (in what army she doesn't say), a musician, a physician, a priestess (though to what diety is never said), an agitator, a gambler, a landowner, a penniless derelict, a herbalist, an outlaw, a bodyguard, a pit fighter, a student, a smuggler, a trapper, an alchemist and a slave.” When and how she got enslaved AGAIN is a mystery but it appears to have been in the Dark Lands judging by an offhand remark of her’s so it probably involved the [[Chaos Dwarfs]]. Despite this little hiccup, her travels were far less difficult then they might have been thanks to the fact that with the exception of a few awkward things like not casting a reflection Gené could easily pass as a human as she was not fatally vulnerable to many of the usual vampire weaknesses like sunlight, running water, garlic, and holy symbols (though fire still hurt and the damage it caused took time to regenerate from, she was weakened in daylight and hated being outside then without sunglasses, and silver could still kill her). Additionally and unknown even to her she was also being aided by the Lahmian Sisterhood who secretly protected her throughout many of her adventures, as they valued her ability to influence the minds of mortals into softening towards Vampires, thus making them all the more pliant and willing slaves when [[Neferata]] would eventually come to make them hers. Thanks to this help Genevieve found herself left her with a great deal of time in between adventures so at some point she took the opportunity to write down an account of her travels in the biographical play "A Life".

[[Image:Genevieve Drachenfels.jpg|right|thumb|150px|She aged pretty well!]]

In any event, after going throughout much of the known world Genevieve finally found herself in [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|The Empire ]] where she came out of the closet as a vampire. Somehow this was acceptable in her case (Newman was fairly loose with canon, although at this early stage of Warhammer's life the canon was pretty loose to begin with), and she mingled in high society until she became bored and frustrated with the pompous nobility (Magnus the Pious, one of the greatest Emperors of the Empire, putting his hand up her dress probably contributed).
After that incident, she slipped into the lower classes of society and ended up working as a barmaid in Altdorf in a bar that secretly catered to vampires called the Crescent Moon for several decades, taking a break only to travel to [[Kislev]] at some point to visit the vampire Tsarina Kattarin since they were both of the same vampire lineage and Genevieve wanted to get to know her. Genevieve would regret this decision though, as she quickly learned firsthand why Lady Melissa had advised against Kattarin being turned into a vampire in the first place, and why Kattarin was known as “Kattarin the Bloody”. Unlike Genevieve, Kattarin was a total monster who had overthrown her husband and liked to bathe in the blood of her courtiers' children and this combined with her rampant cruelty even to her own mortal relatives disturbed the Bretonnian lady so much she quickly abandoned her sister in darkness to her own devices. As Gené later found out she left at the perfect time as Kattarin’s cruelty lead to her downfall shortly after Gené left with Tsarevich Pavel slaying the Tzarina in revenge for the time she chopped off one of his arms. In the wake of Kattarin’s slaying Pavel took the throne, the Tzarina’s corpse was preserved in a block of ice for everyone to see and jeer at, and a Kislevite Vampire hunting society was established and named after Pavel.

Some time after this, during the sixth century of her life, Genevieve was found by the teenage Grand Prince Oswald von Konigswald the son of the Elector Count of Ostland who paid her to join him and his crew in their quest to kill the immortal enchanter [[Drachenfels]], something she was more than willing to do given what he had done to her family and homeland. After losing a few friends along the way and fighting past all the [[Orcs & Goblins|greenskins]]/[[Daemons]]/[[Vampire Counts|Undead]] allied to the big baddy she, Oswald, and the Dwarf Menesh reached Drach's throne room finding it filled with neat stuff like a caged [[harpy]], tons of riches, and shrines mockingly raised to the [[Chaos Gods]] and the Elven murder god [[Khaine]]. While they were distracted by the shiny stuff Drach appeared and proceeded to torment Genevieve by showing her the tortured soul of her father which he had kept magically imprisoned. Drach then proceeded to tear Menesh's arm off (he survived though) before sicking a whole crapload of evil spirits on Genevieve. The attack knocked her unconscious and thus Oswald was forced to fight and apparently kill Drach alone using one of the great Enchanter's own trophies, an ancient sword that had Sigmar's dried blood on it.

After their victory, Genevieve tried to take up traveling again, but after an incident where she and a mercenary stopped a Cathayan devotee of [[Tzeentch]] named Dien Ch'ing and his superiors from carrying out a plot to corrupt a moral crusade and overthrow the Empire of Man, Genevieve decided she needed a break from being a hero and retired to a sanctuary for vampires called "the Convent of the Order of Eternal Night and Solace" for the next quarter-century.

Decades later, Oswald invited her along with their surviving battle buddies and the highest nobility of the time to a play about his defeat of Drachenfels to be held at the Great Enchanter's Castle no less. There she met [[Karl Franz]], whom she took a liking to, and the actress playing her, whom she very much hated. She also found herself attracted to the play's director and main actor Detlef Sierck who had been hired on by Oswald in exchange for Oswald wiping out Detlef's massive debt from an earlier botched production he had been unable to finish. It wasn't till years later that she would realize that part of the reason for her attraction to him was that she had inadvertently met a child aged version of Detlef years prior during that whole mess with the moral crusade and subconsciously recognized him.

Sadly the two new lovers couldn't fully enjoy their time together, as the whole production of the play would prove to be difficult due to it being plagued with disturbing and creepy happenings including the deaths and mutilation of all of Genevieve’s living friends (excluding Oswald who had been traveling with the Emperor up to this point). Things got so bad that Genevieve was forced to replace the actress meant to play her on stage just an hour before curtain rise after the latter was scared off. This, as it happens, would prove to be Genevieve’s one and only role ever as an actress on stage.

Ultimately, it turned out the actress meant to play her might have had the right idea running as during the play’s final act the whole thing was revealed to be an elaborate trap. Years earlier Drachenfels, knowing his latest physical body was decaying had struck a deal with Oswald where he agreed to spare the whimpering teen in exchange for him serving him. Oswald had agreed and Drach had faked his own destruction making Oswald a hero and allowing him to lure all the major players in the Empire to the Enchanter's castle where Drach intended to resurrect and kill off all the leadership in the Empire. The sole exception to this murder-fest would be Oswald who would serve as Drachenfels’ puppet ruler of the Empire. Once all the players were in place Drach began to resurrect in a body Frankensteined out of a combination of the body of the actor playing him (who was in on the whole mess as well) and body parts from Genevieve's friends. A now semi-revived Drach then personally murdered some folks observing things before attacking Genevieve. He intended to drain her blood to finish reviving himself but made the mistake of wounding a protective Detlef in the process. Genevieve then went berserk and furiously attacked Drach damaging his new body enough that it allowed Detlef to get free. Thankfully unlike Oswald years before Detlef wasn't an easily scared pansy and so instead of running, he grabbed a sledgehammer that one of the stagehands had left lying around and came back swinging to protect his vampire lover. Normally this attack would have done jack-all to the immortal enchanter but as it happens [[Sigmar]] had apparently been watching the whole mess unfold and decided to channel his power through Detlef which allowed him to cave the 15,000-year-old bastard's head in and stop his still incomplete resurrection cold.

After the defeat of Drachenfels, Detlef then killed the traitorous Oswald with a sword after the latter botched an attempt to assassinate Karl Franz and his son. With that problem taken care of and his debt wiped clean courtesy of a grateful Empire, Genevieve and Detlef settled down together in Altdorf.

They lived in a newly purchased theatre, the Vargr Breughel Memorial Playhouse (named after a friend of Detlef who died after he was outed as a mutant), where Detlef continued to write plays known the world over from [[Ulthuan]] to [[Lustria]] (though the latter was probably referring to the human settlements there such as the town of Skeggi and not the [[Slann]]). Unfortunately, their fun times were interrupted by an attempt on their lives by a leftover creation of Drachenfels; a magical living mask capable of possessing its wielders called the Animus. Though they defeated it with some help Genevieve was disturbed by this attack and believing she was having a negative influence on Detlef she took up traveling again to protect him. Detlef was highly upset by her vanishing and ended up writing a series of sonnets about her called “To my Unchanging lady” that were widely considered his best work…when they weren’t being suppressed by local authorities.

While Detlef was off grieving for his loss Genevieve was busy traveling through [[Tilea]]. There she found herself trapped within the strange enchantments of the House of Udolpho which was rigged by its master to brainwash everyone who stepped foot in it into constantly acting out ridiculously over the top gothic scenarios forever. Luckily she managed to escape with the aid of several people including the revolutionist Aleksandar Kloszowski whom she ended up accompanying back to the Empire. This proved to not be a good idea though as Kloszowski had a warrant on his head for helping stage the big fog riot in Altdorf some time earlier. As a result Imperial spymaster Mornan Tybalt, the Keeper of the Imperial counting house caught wind of Genevieve’s traveling with the wanted criminal and after capturing her in Middenheim he used her association with Kloszowski to blackmail her. Tybalt threatened her with being imprisoned in silver shackles in Mundsen Keep as well as ruining Detlef and so with his agent Balthus she was sent to kill Tybalt's rival Graf Rudiger von Unheimlich while he was on a unicorn hunt. Fortunately, her target turned out to be a generally terrible person deserving of death and so after finishing him off and the later ousting of Tybalt from the Imperial court she finally returned to Detlef after years apart. Unfortunately, it was just after a vampire hating religious fanatic Antiochus Bland had passed some law to try and set in motion a new war against the undead. After stopping that plan and helping Lady Melissa get the law overturned Gené and Detlef were married by the Arch-Lector of Sigmar no less (the benefits of their being friends with the Emperor and whatnot), however, it proved a short-lived marriage as just over a decade later Detlef would die in his 50s.

===[[End Times]]===

Later it was revealed that Drachenfels was not quite as dead as everyone had hoped. During the End Times he appeared again as a bodiless spirit with no memory of who he was. Turns out getting your head caved in with a divinely enhanced hammer when your only halfway resurrected is a good way to end up with a severe case of amnesia. [[Nagash]] stumbled across Drachenfels and recognizing him from an earlier encounter when he had enlisted his aid against the then mortal Sigmar promised to return Drach’s memories and name to him if he served him as a servant. Fortunately for the undead Bretonnian bar wench, Nagash reneged on his promise, and Drach after angrily switching sides to join [[Chaos]] would find himself put down for good when he made the mistake of possessing a certain very devout Sigmarite priest named Luthor Huss. Though initially in control of his new body a few choice insults by [[Vlad von Carstein]] ultimately managed to awaken the priest’s dormant consciousness and his surging Sigmarite faith seemingly flash-fried the spectral bastard out of existence.

Genevieve herself MAY have had a fleeting unnamed cameo in the lorebook End Times: Nagash. One of the short lore pieces goes into detail about a mysterious meeting that [[Balthasar Gelt]] has with an unnamed woman cloaked in shadow and who basically feeds him the idea and plans for the Auric Bastion to stop the Chaos invasion. This is later revealed to be the minion of Queen [[Neferata]], the top Lahmian vampire, as the Vampires have a vested interest in the world continuing and not being destroyed.

The kicker is that in this meeting Gelt notes that the unnamed girl sounds like a Bretonnian from Parravon or Montfort, is very young and drinks a ruby liquid from a goblet. She also states she does not like her female master. Considering that Genevieve is a notably free-willed and independent Lahmian Vampire from Parravon and that otherwise, all Lahmians revere Neferata, this seems like a suggestive nod from GW to the audience as to who this woman is, though it looks like coincidental evidence, but pretty cool nonetheless. As to WHY Genevieve may want to work for her progenitor Neferata considering she has ignored more malevolent vampires in the past, she could just have an alignment of interests with her in not wanting to see the world ended or it's her way of serving Nagash so he doesn't set her brain on fire inside her skull (like he did with all Vampires who refused to serve him, such as [[Zacharias The Everliving]]) since as a Vampire Genevieve would certainly have felt Nagash's return.

During Karl's ascendance into God Emperorhood during End Times: Archaon, a wave of holy magic radiated through Altdorf and burned away the filth of generations (as well as all daemons and undead). This likely did not include her though as earlier in the book she had been off delivering a message of warning from Neferata to Vlad von Carstein before telling him she intends to go home, something which many people took to mean Bretonnia. In her own words: "My time in this world is coming to an end, just as yours is, and I think I would rather meet it in my homeland." Even if she had come to see Altdorf as her home due to her time with Detlef she likely survived the blast of holy energy despite her undead nature, as according to her novels Karl and his son Luitpold II were rather fond of her thanks to her actions against Drachenfels. Regardless she most definitely was killed when Archaon managed to blow the planet up at the end of the whole End Times mess. As of yet, there has been no trace of her in Age of Sigmar so it’s unclear if her soul made the transition to the new world. UNTIL NOW! Read Gothgul's Hollow!

[[Image:Vampire-Genevieve.jpg|right|thumb|150px|]]

==Age of Sigmar==

==Canon?==

The Drachenfels and Genevieve stories rely on canon that has since been retconned, and any discussion about either will usually start an [[Skub|argument]] over the canonicity of the story. To get a picture of how retconned it is, the Bretonnia of her stories is modeled on the pre-French revolution version that was written over YEARS ago. The fact she's a very popular character in the Warhammer Fantasy communities, and her books are generally regarded as being very well written makes those discussions particularly heated.

Almost every source cites the fact that Vampires are universally reviled in the Warhammer Fantasy universe, and in the Empire being or working with the Undead is a heresy as grave as working with Chaos. Despite this Genevieve is openly a vampire and mingles throughout Empire society. She only receives unease from others rather than being chased with pitchforks, and the [[Witch Hunters]] of the Empire would normally not hesitate to FWIP anyone regardless of their position. For this, the only logical explanation is that she has had the approval of three Emperors, whose authority even the Witch Hunters must obey.

However, the books infer Genevieve's vampirism is an open secret, as she was chased more than once by angry mobs when her vampirism was discovered but managed to sneak away. Furthermore, she had a vampire support group (of other vampires) who let her know if any Witch Hunters were nearby, in which case she'd keep a low profile. It also helped that she only fed on willing people or criminals.

Drachenfels himself is full of canon plot holes, but that can be seen and argued on his own page.

[[Vermintide]]'s Franz Lohner has said he recalls meeting a lady vampire whose name starts with 'G'.

The fact that in the [[End Times]] event Drachenfels is canon suggests however that Genevieve is as well. Then again, in End Times everything, well, ended.

That being said, it's been shown through the works focusing on Nagash that many Undead survived into the new world (at the very least his Mortarchs and their mounts) so she may have persisted into [[Age of Sigmar]] as well, and it's not completely impossible she could be a [[Sigmarine]], as Sigmar has shown he’s not shy about stealing souls from Nagash and he has even managed to convert chaos corrupted souls into Sigmarines. Plus it could be argued that since Sigmar didn’t instantly smite everyone at her marraige ceremony in the old world despite it being officiated by the hammer-Pope he seems at the very least to somewhat approve of her.

==On the Tabletop==

Genevieve, thanks to her globe-trotting lifestyle, could be fluffed into most Order armies. Of course Empire and Bretonnia armies work best, as does the player who fields a homemade Cathayan army. For a model the Bretonnian Damsels or the Vampire maidens off the Coven Throne model work best.
If using End Times rules, then a wizard in [[Lore of Undeath]] works as well.

[[Category: Warhammer Fantasy]] [[Category: Vampire Counts]] [[Category: Empire]] [[Category: Bretonnia]][[Category:France]]

Sons of Behemat

2022-09-05T22:48:27Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:6D3E:5735:CBBE:C0F8: /* Named Gargants */

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Sons of Behemat|Logo=Kraken-eater.jpg|Alliance=Destruction|Motto=Big and friendly these giants are not...}}

{{Topquote|We had common cause once, little man. No more. Now the Sons of Behemat march. Kraken-eater. Warstomper. Gatebreaker. Mancrusher. Bonegrinder. All as one. Behemat calls.|The Kraken-eater Baran to a Freeguild Captain and former ally.}}

{{Topquote|Disasters are called natural, as if nature were the executioner and not the victim.|Eduardo Galeano}}

{{Topquote|There is only power. Power is of the individual mind but the mind's power is not enough. Power of the body decides everything in the end and only might is right.|T.H. White, "The Once and Future King"}}
The '''Sons of Behemat''' are Gargants (known as Giants outside of trademark issues), the offspring of the titular [[Godbeast]] Behemat; colossal forces of nature that terrify foes and (their few) friends alike. They are driven by their wanton need for inflicting mass carnage and proving themselves as the true champions of Gorkamorka. Despite this, other factions will often hire the services of the Sons of Behemat as living siege weapons.

==History==
===Age of Myth===
[[File:Behemat teaser.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Note that the [[Stormcast Eternals|Stormcast]] are literally immortal, yet they're still scared shitless by this absolute unit. Then again, Warham’s giants tend to stuff smaller foes in their trousers, so it's understandable]]

In the beginning, there was a titanic godbeast known as Ymnog, Grandfather of Gargants. According to the Gargant Matriarchs (no model exists cause not many want to see what saggy Gargant tits look like in plastic), Ymnog created the Mortal Realms when he threw a punch so hard that he shattered reality into earth, sea, and sky. After drinking and eating entire sections of the cosmos, Ymnog laid down to take a nap, where his drool would flow down into the Realms and become the first rivers. Inside his stomach was born Behemat, along with his two idiot brothers, named Gorg and Ama-Gorag. They brewed a lake of moonshine in their father's guts, causing him to retch them into his mouth, where Behemat then broke his father’s teeth to escape, the shards of his teeth supposedly becoming the first mountains. Behemat's brothers were stupid enough to fight over the moonshine they brought with them, and as such Ymnog gulped them back down again. Behemat landed in the Mortal Realms and became the progenitor of the Gargant race and personal right hand to the god of destruction [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]] (mostly because the Greenskin god was the only thing bigger than him), while Ymnog would end up being killed by Sigmar cuz he was a titanic monster and the Hammer god wasn’t gonna let him roam around his new home. It's unknown if Behemat's brothers are still alive in Ymnog's gut, but seeing as to how Ymnog is dead now, and the two of them haven't reappeared, they probably were digested.

It is said the gargants were created from Behemat's vomit after he went on a binge-eating spree that caused the extinction of several species of cattle. Countless deeds are attributed to Behemat by his Sons, most of which double as their explanation for the different races (known collectively as “pipsqueaks”, “little men”, or any other short demeaning term), like the [[Idoneth Deepkin]] being an Aelven civilization that Behemat drowned after causing a massive flood, the [[Fyreslayers]] being born when the World Titan stomped out some volcanos and saw these angry short guys come out to yell at him, and the denizens of Shyish being mostly skeletons because Behemat ate all the meat in the Realm of Death. Naturally this is all just mythical nonsense passed down by the Gargants, but they serve as a good example of how they view the world around them, a product of Behemat’s achievements. It wouldn't be implausible if the matriarchs know better, but no granny wouldn't tell some happy stories to grandson and granddaughter as they cheerfully play a game of kick the swordsman battalion.

Trouble started to brew for the Gargants during the tail end of the Age of Myth. Trying to find a way into the Mortal Realms, [[Tzeentch]] whispered lies to Gorkamorka, making him envious of his champion, as Behemat enjoyed so much freedom under the green god’s rule, while Gorkamorka himself was stuck under Sigmar’s thumb. So Big G ordered Behemat to recreate some of the god of destruction’s greatest feats...and he did, though some were by accident. Then came the big one; Behemat had to recreate the duel between Sigmar and Gorkamorka. So after armoring himself with an entire mountain, Behemat bellowed a challenge to the Hammer God...and nothing happened. So he started stomping on the local sigmarites which caused the Lord of Azyr to come rocketing down from the heavens and knocked Behemat out cold, putting him in a millenia-long coma in the region known as the Harmonis Veldt in Ghyran. Alarielle, Goddess of Life, opted to forgive the Godbeast’s rampages and wove life magic around his sleeping form so that his body would become covered by the earth; his skull becoming the mountain of Tor Crania, his mouth becoming the Titansmawr (from which more gargants would occasionally crawl out), the Sweatswamp forming around the location of his left armpit, and so on. This pretty much makes him the [[Mythology#Norse_Mythology|Ymir]] of the Mortal Realms. For this act of clemency, many of the “traditional” Gargants revere Alarielle as the “Woman of the Woods” and make an attempt to avoid trampling through areas of her influence.

===Age of Chaos===
Despite their forefather taking a big snooze, the Gargants were mostly unfazed, continuing their own isolationist lives or rampaging in the hordes of Gorkamorka. This would not last, as the Age of Chaos happens and everything gets ruined. The Ruinous Powers and their servants were quick to fall upon the Gargants, seeing them both as prestigious monsters to slay for glory and destructive weapons of mass mayhem. The ones that weren’t slain in droves or hid themselves away become Chaos Gargants (willingly or otherwise) who tromped alongside the Slaves to Darkness in agony. This conflict is known to the Gargants as the ''Sole'' Wars, as many a giant foot was cut up badly by the spiky pipsqueaks, until the “invention” of Gargant sized sandals and shoes made of monster hide.

===Age of Sigmar===
The Age of Sigmar proved to be one of the most important parts of the race’s history. During the Realmgate Wars, as part of Archaon's plan to corrupt the godbeasts to Chaos, he sent the Maggotkin of Nurgle and the Skaven to corrupt Behemat, whose sleeping place was already corrupted by Nurgle into what is now known as the Scabrous Sprawl. The plan was for the Skaven to drill into his bones to awaken him, the Maggotkin to corrupt him with Nurgle's taint, and for him to be persuaded to join Archaon's side by being told half-truths about Sigmar killing his father Ymnog (which he technically did). Although the Stormcast Eternals attempted to stop this, they were too late and were forced to invoke the power of the Great Bolts (the same weapon Sigmar used to kill Ymnog) to put down Behemat before he could be fully corrupted. Many of the gargants native to the Sprawl felt lost after witnessing the death of their god-progenitor, and were taken in by the Oakenbrow Sylvaneth and became eventual allies of them. Meanwhile countless more became solitary drunkards called Aleguzzlers, and found “employment” with the [[Gloomspite Gitz]], on account of the Grots’ copious amounts of fungus booze and cold dank caves to sleep off their roaring hangovers.

Since the death of Behemat, his Sons have been noted to have been getting bigger, more violent and more intelligent, leading to the evolution of so-called "Mega-Gargants", colossal both in size and aggression. Just the thunderous sound of a Mega-Gargant’s footfalls will draw even the most reclusive of Gargants from miles around to join together. Tribes will form around these massive warriors who then proceed to mold the Gargants under his command into terrifying natural disasters.

And with the Mega-Gargants seemingly becoming bigger and bigger with each day, it seems likely that there will come a time when a new World-Titan will emerge...

===Broken Realms===
When the God of Earthquakes [[Kragnos]] broke free from his mountain prison and started to sprint towards Excelsis, several territorial Mega-Gargants noticed the colossal centaur creature and instantly challenged him for daring to enter their turf. All but one, a Kraken-eater called Derko Walrusbiter, were slain, and Kragnos kept marching on with his new follower in tow. They picked up more Gargants along the way before colliding with Waaagh!Gordrak and the two parties merged together under Kragnos’ command to tear down Excelsis. The Mega-Gargants were instrumental in tearing down the great walls that defended the city, however it was just as likely that their fallen corpses become brand new walls. Derko Walrusbiter gathered a Stomp of other Kraken-eaters and appeared out of the water and marched on the Excelsis harbor, but they were soon surrounded by the surprise arrival of a Black Ark carrying Morathi-Khaine and her [[Daughters of Khaine|wych aelf worshippers]], the goddess herself putting down Derko. Kragnos was lured through a portal to the other side of Ghur and the destruction horde was scattered.

===Era of the Beast===
Kragnos’ revival has caused a surge of feral energy from Ghur to waft out into the realms and drives all the races of destruction into a frenzy. The Sons of Behemat, though incapable of understanding what actually happened, refer to this event as the Great Stomp and roam far and wide to exercise their newfound energy. More than a few Stomps have taken to following the lead of Kragnos, though others are still content to follow their own blunt ideas.

==Religion and Culture==
[[File:BehematStormcast.jpg|800px|thumb|center|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OkpRK2_gVs/ SIE SIND DAS ESSEN UND WIR SIND DIE JAEGER!!!!!]]]
The Sons of Behemat don’t really worship [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]], whom they call the Godstompa, as they do “highly revere” him. In fact, they only seem to acknowledge the green god because Behemat did, who seems to be the real center of Gargant society. The Godstompa himself is said to be a massive yellow-nailed bare foot that flattens entire cities where ever he treads (watching the orruk shamans cast the Foot of Gork spell only strengthens this notion for them). When the Godstompa is split into “Gorkfoot and Morkfoot”, the Gargants state that one is “stompy but kicky” and the other is “kicky but stompy”. This fixation on feet forms the cornerstone of Gargant culture and how they view other races (Example: they’re not fond of the [[Slaves to Darkness]] not cuz they’re Chaos worshippers, but because their spiked armor makes them unpleasant to squash).

This foot fetishism also bleeds into their tribal organization. A tribe of Gargants is called a Stomp (most civillized races call them Catastrophes, but the average gargant can't pronounce, let alone spell, that word), with the leader being known as the "Big Heel". Subordinate Mega-Gargants are thus "under the heel", while the tribe's Mancrushers are referred to as “footsloggas” (larger Mancrushers who lead their fellows are said to be "toeing the line"). Wherever a Stomp roams, the Gargants will leave their mark in the trails of ruin and destruction they leave behind. Frontier towns and outposts are reduced to rubble. Holy forests are uprooted and turned to splinters. All of which they do out of boredom and complete disregard for anything made/honored by the pipsqueaks. Such devastation is most commonly found in [[Ghur]], where Gargants are so common that all the natives have learned to recognize and fear the tell-tale thumping of their footprints that can be heard for miles around. Gargants won’t give anyone smaller than them (meaning everyone) the time of day unless they are at eye level with the beasts, usually standing on a cliff or some tower/war machine. Though this can prove a successful means of diplomacy, it’s just as common for the Gargant to mindlessly grab the diplomat and devour them.

Since Behemat was the Champion of Gorkamorka, his Sons now strive to fill the gap left by their forefather’s death. This is best exemplified by their correlation of size equaling strength, or “Mightier Makes Rightier” as they say. The biggest have the authority to boss around those smaller than them and (most of) the giants just accept it as fact. Though when two Gargants of similar size meet, they are bound to begin wrestling with each other to assert dominance. Sometimes they will instead do a series of “strength challenges” to determine who’s in charge, though this often still leads to the participants grappling on the ground. The aforementioned challenges are usually done in large open area or the ruins of a nearby city that was stomped flat by the Gargants to serve as their playing field.

Gargants have a vague sort of connection to the various [[Orruk Warclans|greenskin]] [[Gloomspite Gitz|factions]], likely due to Gorkamorka’s role in their origin. Whenever a Waaagh! is called or the Bad Moon looms in the sky, it’s quite common to find the lumbering giants following the greenskin hordes. The maniac energies that swell during such times is contagious to the Gargants, though not to the same extent as Orruks and Grots. It’s described as the Gargants wanting to show the yelling hordes at their feet who’s really the biggest and baddest. At the height of their fervor, tribes of Gargants will break out into a full on sprint and crush entire battlelines with their feet alone before crashing into battlements with club and girth. The only exception to this ‘working well with Greenskins’ philosophy are the Kruleboyz, who the Gargants despise for their slippery scheming and dirty tricks. As for the other destruction race, the [[Ogor Mawtribes]], Gargants have a healthy respect/fear of them. They acknowledge their larger size and strength compared to other pipsqueaks, and have seen more than a few of their kind be consumed alive by the ravenous gluttons or blasted apart by their cannons.

Most other realm-shaking events that defined entire factions weren’t acknowledged by the Sons of Behemat, deeming them as quite literally beneath them. Only three events have shaken their race as a whole, the Age of Chaos, Behemat's death, and after that the arrival of the [[Nighthaunt]] processions. The Mortarch of Grief [[Lady Olynder]] effortlessly slew a Mega-Gargant and his Stomp, allowing the survivors to tromp away to spread fear of her legions. Sure enough, rumors spread across the Gargant tribes of ghostly beings that stomping couldn't hurt or kill. Confusion led to terror, and terror became a reality when similar battles occurred where the Sons of Behemat, now dreading the Nighthaunt, found that their foot falls and club swings held little purchase against the ghosts. Things have gotten better though as new tales spread amongst the tribes of how the Bjarl Stomp worked with the ghost-hunting [[Bonesplitterz|Drakkfoot Warclan]] to put down an army of Nighthaunt at the Asp River.

===Gargants as Mercenaries===
Starting in the Age of Chaos, Gargants began to sell their bulk to various warring factions for the promise of food, loot, and a good scrap. This can be traced back to the very first Gargant Mercenaries, a trio of hairy bruisers called the Grugg Brothers. They were in an alliance with the Ogors of the Meatfist Mawtribe at the time, and started to take note of how the Ogors worked for other races and were getting paid for it. The Grugg Brothers were further tutored by the Maneaters of the Gutstuffers company, teaching them rudimentary tactics such as attacking early in the morning when enemy forces are tired and making battle plans before hand. When the Gargants inevitably parted ways with the Mawtribes, they spread their knowledge to the other Stomps and word quickly spread of a new lucrative way of life. This knowledge has since been known to the more cunning Gargants as the “Great Secret”. When it comes to acquiring the services of a Gargant, humans are usually the chosen diplomat since duardin are too short for the giants to take seriously, and aelves use too many big words that confuse and frustrate them. The destruction races naturally don’t have this problem.

===Favored Pastimes/Gargant Games===
*'''Horse-punting''': Players kick a horse and see which one goes the farthest. Bonus points are awarded to the horse that lands on an unsuspecting pipsqueek.
*'''Boar-scoffing''': Pig eating contest...with full sized hogs.
*'''Wakebelching''': A game played by more “civilized” Gargants (meaning the ones who work for Order factions). Each player takes turns burping loudly in the dead of night in the middle of a settlement. The Gargant who woke the most people/gets the most angry shouts of protest wins.
*'''Manskittles''': Bowling on the battlefield. Gargants will take a boulder, dead animal, or whatever else is on hand and hurl it at a shield wall to see how many bodies are sent flailing about.
*'''Tank-tipping''': Like cow tipping, but with Steam Tanks. It was first played by the Warstomper Nagbog and his Stomp who fought against Commodore Bonn Jensen’s Iron Squadron of Greywater Fastness. Onlookers of the massacre could’ve sworn they saw flying Steam Tanks that day.
*'''Rumble''': Football/soccer but with explosive volcanic boulders. Unusual for including willing participants from other races. The Ogors of the Boulderhead Mawtribe regularly migrate through the Adamantine Mountains in Aqshy, where they encounter the native Aridian Stomp. Both sides agree to play this game of Rumble (throwing and/or kicking boulders towards the opposing team’s side) to determine if the Ogors can pass through for free, or if they have to kill half of their beasts and mounts as payment to the Gargants.

==Types of Gargants==
Each “species” of Gargant has a very fairy tale like name, likely given to them by the terrified victims of their rampages.

*'''Mancrusher''': The OG Giant is now the most commonly seen species of the giant race, as well as the shortest (keep in mind that a ‘short’ Gargant can still punt a Sigmarine like a football). Mancrushers were originally wayward Aleguzzler/Chaos Gargants who happened to find a Mega-Gargant to follow around. When in the presence of a Mega-Gargant, they become eager (if a little clumsy) followers, ready to take orders and do whatever their bigger bosses want. This tiny level of “discipline” arguably makes them more dangerous as they can now make unified charges with their fellow Gargants and throw boulders at enemies in a crude firing line. They’re also oddly sober when compared to other Gargants, though this is because their bosses hog most of the booze they come across. In a strangely wholesome twist on the normal method of Destruction aligned recruitment (the weak being subjugated by the strong), Mancrushers will often willingly join the Mega-Gargants cause they admire them as big brothers in a sense. They will wait for the big lugs to fall asleep and then camp out around him. So when the Mega-Gargant wakes up, he’s got a full tribe of loyal bruisers ready to please him...get your mind out of the gutter [[Slaanesh]].

*'''Kraken-eater''': A sea faring variety known for their greed and territorial natures. Granted, what they deem as “their territory” is everything in seeing distance. They like lugging around ship cannons to use as blunt instruments as well as colossal fishing nets stuffed full of hapless victims and fish. Lots of fish. Kraken-eaters are also noted for being older than most gargants, being basically grouchy senior citizens who yell at everyone to get off their lawn. Though the more “tame” ones are capable of holding a “pleasant” conversation with other factions that hire them, making them the prime choice for Order factions when they want a Gargant mercenary. This still won’t prevent them from working with another faction to stomp on their former allies though. They lead pseudo crime-syndicates called ''Taker Tribes'', where they boss around Mancrushers to steal all the loot they can find and fight against anyone who comes onto their turf.

*'''Warstomper''': The epitome of the Gargant race and warmonger by any other name. Above all other sub-species, Warstompers love collecting trophies and trinkets from their flattened foes, using them to decorate their grotesque forms. The most intelligent of their kind display a malevolent level of cunning, actively trying to stop wars from ending so they can keep on fighting. To do so, they will join the losing side to drag out the war, kill surrendering troops, and hunt down and consume peaceful ambassadors. This makes them very popular among Chaos hordes who see the Warstomper as a gift from the gods. Expectedly, as they accumulate chaos runes and other mutations, Warstomper can slowly be warped into fully Chaos aligned creatures. Gargants led by a Warstomper are referred to as a ''Stomper Tribe'' and act as walking natural disasters who live only for the thrill of active combat.

*'''Gatebreaker''': These bitter big boys have an obsession with tearing down strongholds, and then using the wreckage as armor and weapons (some even appreciating the irony in these makeshift armaments). This obsession originates from a [[Beasts Of Chaos|loathing of all civilized life]], seeing them as the reason why Behemat is dead. Gatebreakers often wear crudely made cowls out of looted flags and banners in the style of an executioner’s mask, as they see themselves as the executioner of the cities they destroy. Gatebreakers are commonly found among death armies, as they often leave the best spoils to the Mega-Gargants, though staying around a bunch of smelly necromancers and vampires will occasionally twist the Gatebreaker into a thoughtless thrall who can survive on little to no sustenance. They lead the aptly named ''Breaker Tribes'', cults of personality where the Mancrushers seek to emulate their boss’ loathing of civilization and specialize in tearing down fortifications and other symbols of order.

*'''Bonegrinder''': The largest and rarest of all Sons of Behemat, twice as tall as the common Mancrusher and still head and shoulders bigger than the other Mega-Gargants. These absolute behemoths see themselves as the reincarnations of Behemat and try to bully everyone into serving on them hand and foot. So why don’t they lead the Gargant Stomps? It’s unclear (aside from a lack of official tabletop rules), though a likely explanation is a combination of their supreme levels of clumsiness and being incredibly dull, even for a Gargant. The few times they do show up though, it’s a sure fire sign that this Stomp means business.

==Named Gargants==
*'''King Brodd''': The self-professed “Last True Son of Behemat”, King Brodd is the absurdly strong and intelligent master of the Gargant Stomps native to the Scabrous Sprawl. He claims to have crawled out of the Titansmawr fully grown and declared himself leader. After pulverizing all belligerent challengers, he has cemented his rule and stated his ambition to reclaim his ancestral home of Tor Crania from the vile Cygors and other [[Beasts of Chaos]] that toppled it. Brodd never goes anywhere without two things; a crown made from the skull of a mouldragon he killed bare-handed, and a massive granite pillar that serves as his personal weapon and symbol of his right to lead the Sons of Behemat. During the Realmgate Wars, Brodd was caught up in a massive explosion which slew Stormcast, Gargants, and Beastmen, for miles. The Gargant King survived this and would later witness the death of Behemat at the hands of Sigmar’s champions. Now King Brodd is on a ruinous path of vengeance against the Stormcast Eternals. His hatred from the Azyrites has led him and his stomp to working with Gordrakk, who has his own beef with Sigmar. But King Brodd is fiercely independent, even refusing to bow to Kragnos’ will when the Drogrukh escaped his magical prison, as he deems Behemat to be the only lord Gargants should revere. He recently was given his own model in the form of a conversion kit for Warstomper Mega-Gargants, with him being covered in Creepers, the same type previewed in the story about Olag the Great.

*'''Bundo Whalebiter''': Mercenary Kraken-eater who can ally with the forces of Order. The Idoneth artifact that hangs from his ear is filled with Aetherquartz and increases his intellect to where he can use ancient strategies like “patience” and may even be able to read. He’s even smart enough to know when he’s being cheated in a deal by the [[Kharadron Overlords]]. Bundo’s now signature ear piece has since been mimicked by other Gargants...to varying levels of success. He has his own tribe called the Rondhol Stomp that has terrorized its way across the continent of Rondhol in Ghur, sometimes with the assistance of the grots of the Undersnapperz tribe.

*'''One-Eyed Grunnock''': Mercenary Warstomper who can ally with the hordes of Chaos. Originally known as Grunnock Battle-krasha, he decided to try and topple the Ivory Citadel of the Ossiarch Bonereapers. Not too long after his initial (and failed) attack, he witnessed the Bonereapers trying to make peace with the Kharadron Overlords. Outraged by the prospect of no more fighting, he bullrushed the two parties and squashed the Arkanaut Admiral and Liege Kavalos in charge of the two armies. He took a full fusillade of aethershot to the face that destroyed his eye, and from then on he became One-Eyed Grunnock, seeking endless war to subdue his roaring headache. Grunnock has a crude understanding of how important regiments and formations are in combat, so he specializes in disrupting said ranks with earth shaking stomps and jumps.

*'''Big Drogg Fort-Kicka''': Mercenary Gatebreaker who can ally with the processions of Death. A native of Hallost in the Ossiarch Empire, his main reason for allying with Death armies is that he hopes to gain the attention and trust of Nagash...so he can club him in the back when the god of death isn’t looking. Despite this, Big Drogg is still seen as a traitor and outcast by other Destruction factions, especially after he turned on an Orruk horde when Mannfred von Carstein bribed him with three barrels of royal blood. His oral hygiene is so atrocious that his rotten breath has become its own form of attack, wiping out hordes of enemies that dare to stray too close to him.

*'''Brawlsmasha''': Mercenary Bonegrinder who can only ally with fellow Destruction factions. It’s rumored that this Titan was found as a baby by an Ironjawz Warclan and decided to raise him as a living weapon. Now fully grown, he wields the gargantuan Mega-Club of Gork to flatten entire regiments and inspires all Orruks around him to greater acts of violence.

*'''Argol Brightfist''': A mysteriously benevolent Mega-Gargant native to the fallen continent of Donse in Ghur. Those who have seen him will take note of the mish-mash of colorful rags that adorns his body. He leads a motley Stomp of Gargants against the forces of Chaos that decimated their home millennia ago and slew their ten elder Gargants. On occasion, he will lend a stomping foot or two to anyone who is assailed by the Slaves to Darkness. Because of his unique disposition, the Grand Conclave of Excelsis has petitioned many adventures to go in search of Argol in hopes of securing his services in the fight against Chaos. Given the current situation in the Era of the Beast however, it seems unlikely that Excelsis will be wanting any assistance from the Gargants soon.

*'''Baran''': A Kraken-eater who once helped the Freeguilders and Kharadron hunt down a lake monster that was scoffing down ships. Pretty cool and bro-tier for a Gargant, explaining a bit about his people to a Freeguild captain and even giving the guy a sword for "helping" kill the kraken (the dude leaped off a Kharadron Ironclad and stabbed the Kraken in the eye, losing his sword. So no surprise the Kraken-eater thought he was a cool dude). Baran later met the same Captain on the other side of the battlefield, and ignored a heartfelt plea for friendship to prevail in favour of picking up said Cpt and squashing him like an overipe grapefruit. [[Grimdark|The power of friendship at work people.]]

*'''The Murgg Brothers''': Broguph, Slorgo, and Mangor are a trio of Warstompers hired by [[Skragrott|Skragrott the Loonking]] to aide in his siege of the Tuskvault, a Stormvault rumored to contain a shard from Gorkamorka’s own club. Skragrott had amassed a massive contingent of different Destruction factions, so much so that he convinced the Fist of Gork [[Gordrakk]] himself to lead it. The siege was thwarted by a combined effort of Sylvaneth, Fyreslayers, and Stormcast, with an enraged Mangor unintentionally bringing down a whole mountain that buried the Tuskvault once more. Shortly thereafter, Gordrakk (forcefully) recruited the Brothers for his own campaign; marching on the free city of Excelsis.

*'''Old Ropey''': A horrifying and enigmatic Mega-Gargant that stalks the blighted isle of Decrepita in Ghyran. He’s named so for the ropes of mouldering flesh that hang from his belly and drag along the ground where ever he roams. The unfortunates who are caught by Old Ropey are wrapped up in these rotting muscles where they are slowly absorbed into the Mega-Gargant like an undead fungus. Alarielle has sent numerous Glades to put down this living(?) ghost story, but no one can ever seem to find Old Ropey...unless he wants to be found.

*'''The Arbalester Gargants''': Back in the Age of Myth, Teclis and his mage students cast a petrifaction curse on some gargants on the Shyish island of Arbalester. They then triggered a rockslide that buried the behemoths up their heads and left. Over the years, the now mysterious Arbalester Heads are considered one of the strange natural wonders of the Realms...until Nagash’s Necroquake happened and undid the Gargants’ bindings. Now grown into Mega-Gargants, the throughly pissed brutes bellowed and ordered the nearby tribe of Savage Orruks to help dig them out. Since then, the Bonesplitterz Warclan has used their new found allies/objects of worship in a glorious Waaagh! that saw them claim multiple islands to the east of the Ossiarch Empire. Seem to be a reference to the Moai, or Easter Island heads.

*'''Derko Walrusbiter''': An elderly Kraken-eater who swore fealty to Kragnos after the End of Empires slew all his nephews and younger mates. Being the first Mega-Gargant to follow Kragnos, Derko took up a sort of spokesperson position for the rest of the Sons of Behemat. He took part in the Siege of Excelsis where he was convinced by Skragrott the Loonking to move ahead of the main horde and gather fellow Gargants to ambush the Excelsis harbor. His Stomp of two dozen Kraken-eaters consisted of many old allies and rivals of Derko, such as Long Dobb, Grottob the Gullet, and the female Mega-Gargant Drukka the Siren and her many sisters. They soundly razed the Excelsis harbor and all seemed great, until the ambushers were ambushed themselves by the Daughters of Khaine aboard a Black Ark. Derko Walrusbiter had the “honor” of perishing at the talons of Morathi-Khaine, his death dispersing the remaining Gargants.

*'''Olag the Great''': A Mega-Gargant who is worshipped by a clan of diminutive Greenskins known as the "Creepers". It's currently unknown what sort of Greenskins they are, besides the fact that their skin isn't actually green, much like the pale yellow that Hobgrotz have, these Greenskins ain't green but red! It's possible they're Snotlings, Grots, or some form of Pygmy Orruks, but whatever they are, they apparently stitch Olag's wounds back shut after his battles.

==Music to Listen to While Playing these Big Lads==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRja4HUsRu0&ab_channel=GerzamT= Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest - The Kraken]: Hans Zimmer doling out a healthy serving of goosebumps once again.
*[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oULBLox0zLg= Neon Genesis Evangelion “Decisive Battle”]: For the madman who will undoubtably paint some Evangelion Gargants.
*Anything from the Godzilla films, the Heisei era and GMK specifically stand out.
*"Ymir" by "Danheim"
*[https://youtu.be/D0ihPazjoy4 For whenever you’re fighting the big 'uns.]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBqw818mQ1E] Play this when you charge your large lads.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:BoL0PjL5oXMduBJl.jpg|A Kraken-eater Mega-Gargant.
File:4C5013E3-921A-46BA-A311-606514462548.jpg|A Warstomper Mega-Gargant.
File:Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant..jpg|A Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant.
</gallery>

{{Template:Playable Factions in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar}}

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Hysh

2022-09-05T22:12:43Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:6D3E:5735:CBBE:C0F8: /* Regions */

{{AoS-Stub}}

[[File:TenParadises.jpg|thumb|right|Perfectly balanced...as all things should be.|500px]]

Greetings, illuminate, to Hysh. Land of reflection, light and wisdom. Hysh is the mortal realm of light and is conjointedly ruled by the twin gods [[Tyrion]] and [[Teclis]]. It also doubles as the mortal realms' sun. The [[Lumineth Realm Lords]] come from here.

==Overview==

The Ten Paradises of Hysh are lands of illumination, symmetry and reason; and their inhabitants driven to the highest of their paths through meditation, asceticism and self-improvement almost to the point of obsession. It also helped that Hysh's realmstone, Aetherquartz, is mortal-made and enhances the mental and physical properties of the user even further.

Between the Aetherquartz and the guidance of both Tyrion and Teclis, civilization in Hysh became incredibly focused in self-improvement, reason and order; each individual willing to great lengths to become more than they were, with the pinnacle of this being the Lumineth. Over time, the Lumineth became egotistical perfectionists who thought they'd overcome all their flaws, each leader considering themselves the best exemplar of their race and others as inferiors or rivals who needed to learn their place by any means necessary and used a magical substance to enhance themselves... [[Skaven|wait, this mindset sounds familiar]]. Things went from bad to worse when [[Chaos|certain someones]] came knocking...

Hysh’s radiance is so strong that it’s realmsphere is seen from all of the Mortal Realms and beyond as a blinding ball of pure light, and serves as the Realms' equivalent of the sun. However, both Hysh and [[Ulgu]] share an orbit (with the orbit's center being, hilariously, [[Shadespire]]) and periodically Ulgu eclipses Hysh, bathing the realms in darkness. And that, children, is how day and night works in the mortal realms (no word on how this works on Ulgu and Hysh themselves).

===Uhl-Ghysh===
Unlike the other realms, Hysh has a weird relationship with the realm of shadow, Ulgu. Not only both move in the same orbit as seen above, but also there's a subrealm where the energies of both Hysh and Ulgu intermingle, mix and become something that even the deities of both realms cannot fully comprehend. This paradoxical realm is called Uhl-Ghysh and with the weird properties found here, Teclis found the location perfect for his plan of trapping [[Slaanesh]] and make him/her/it throw up elven souls. Currently, as the cage of Slaanesh, is nearly impossible to get to Uhl-Ghysh, but between the machinations of [[Morathi|that bitch]] and the Necroquake, the illusions that conceal the paths there are unraveling. Also home to Geminids.

==Regions==
The coming of the Lumineth Realm-Lords gave us a complete map for Hysh, being the first realm to do so. This tells us that either it is a much smaller Realm than the others, or that each nation has to be ''fucking enormous''. Either way, the Ten Paradises are arranged as two perfectly symmetrical halves, with one half influenced by the teachings of Teclis and the other by Tyrion. The remaining two, Xintil and Haixiah, are presumably under the jurisdiction of neither individual god.

There's also the City of Nochseed, whose exact location is unmentioned, but is stated as being the home of the Chaos civilization "The Cypher Lords" from Warcry.

===Xintil===
The centre of Hysh where magic is most stable and least likely to explode everywhere. It tends to be where the majority of the non-Aelven races live, such as the [[Cities of Sigmar|City of Sigmar]], Settler's Gain.

===Syar===
The people of Syar are some of the greatest craftsmen in the Mortal Realms, and people travel far and wide in order to purchase their magical trinkets. They tend to dress fancy, even making them the forefront of Hyshian fashion, [[Wat|though apparently they're never gaudy or showy]]. When it comes to battle, these Lumineth actually play up their "perceived arrogance and sense of superiority" in efforts to [[Troll|bait]] opponents.

===Iliatha===
A matriarchal society with a heavy emphasis on improving through generational growth, so women are revered. To get around childbirth - which was considered a messy, painful distraction, they invented magical soul-splitting cloning to replace sexual reproduction. This was abused during the Age of Myth in an unspecified way and became closely regulated. It’s the most populous of the Lumineth kingdoms as a result and twins are very common.

===Ymetrica===
The Lumineth of Ymetrica are a warrior culture (kind of odd for being on the Teclis half of the map) as tough as the mountain spirits they worship, being the First Nation to buy into Teclis’ whole Aelementari scheme. It is said that there is never a time when the forces of Ymetrica aren't fighting somewhere in the Mortal Realms. A more close to home threat for this nation comes from the Stoical Vast mountains. A great [[Gloomspite Gitz|Troggherd]] called the Stoical Gobblemaws makes regular advances across its peaks in hopes of devouring all of the mountains. They and their Troggboss Gorp have been pushed back by the Alarith temples, but they just keep coming. Additionally, there are the [[Flesh-Eater Courts|flesh eaters]] of the Vertigon Court, who have settled in the Vertiginous Peaks. The Lumineth surprisingly are content to let these ghouls fester and squabble amidst the mountains, acting as an unwitting buffer zone against any chaos invasions.

===Zaitrec===
They're the powerful mystics even amongst the Lumineth. They also seem to be pretty close to the Celennar. Also Teclis' favoured stomping grounds.

===Alumina===
Followers of Tyrionic tradition, these Lumineth are generally the outdoorsy type - mountain climbing, swimming stormy seas, that kind of thing. The kind who are first to volunteer for dangerous exploration. Weirdly "manly man" for elves.

===Helon===
Tyrionic realm that's WINDY AS FUCK! Generally flat, though with a large number of floating "megalith" islands. Big shock, the people who live in these windy fields have a strong relationship with the realm's wind spirits.

===Aurathrai===
Presumably Tyrionic.

===Oultrai===
Presumably Tyrionic.

===Haixiah===
The Realm's Edge of Hysh, described as a place of freakish perfection. The fjords themselves are rimmed with fractal patterns, and going deeper you'll find places that exist as pencil sketches (like the music video for a-ha's "Take on me"?), dots of light or waves of thought. No Lumineth lives here, as this was a place no mortal was meant to tread. When Tyrion, the literal god of Light journeyed to this place in search of Teclis, he was blinded. The God of Light '''was blinded'''. Really puts it into perspective.

==Trivia==
* The realmstone native to Hysh is called Aetherquartz. While its natural form isn't something most can even capture, Teclis managed to condense it into a glass-like quartz material that can form into symmetrical patterns. Being natives to this realm, the Lumineth guard this jealously as it also has a much more vital use: those using it can feel their reflexes and intelligence heightened to incredible heights. The issue is that this also comes with the penalty of sucking out the bearer's emotions and potentially developing an addiction to these highs.

{{AoS-Realms}}

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Warcry

2022-09-05T16:24:44Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:6D3E:5735:CBBE:C0F8: /* Chaos Legionnaires */

[[File:NewWarcryLogo.jpg|450px|center]]
{{clear}}

A specialist game for [[Age of Sigmar]] and successor to [[Skirmish]], Warcry was initially described in previews to incorporate aspects of both [[Kill Team (Specialist Game)|Kill Team]] and [[Warhammer Underworlds]], though the end result bears little resemblance to either (which isn’t a bad thing). It looks to offer a much more complex and nuanced take on the various Chaos factions of Age of Sigmar.

==The Game==
Seeking the favor and blessing of the Everchosen, warbands of Chaos cultists and other denizens of the Mortal Realms clash for supremacy within the Varanspire, a hub of activity at the heart of the Eightpoints (formerly known as the Allpoints before Chaos fully up and moved in), which happens to be [[Archaon|a certain somebody's]] seat of power.

So far the following mechanics and characteristics has been confirmed:

* As with all their games lately, Open, Narrative and Matched play modes.
* The game is played in a rather small area, around 20" x 30" with lots of scenery, similar to Kill Team.
* The standard game generation is handled by four decks of cards that determine scenery disposition, deployment, objectives and game's special rules. Specific sets of scenery have exclusive cards that are added to the decks and Matched play have special scenarios with deployments and special rules.
* Deployment is made dividing the warband in three groups: Dagger, Shield and Sword. Each group's size can vary from 1 model to half the models of the warband, with Shield being a third of the warband's models at the least. Also, a warband must be between 3 and 15 models. Depending of the deployiment, some of the groups may appear later in the battle.
* The movement is rather free-range allowing to climb scenery, pass doors, jump (or falling off) from platforms... And in some cases the base's size doesn't matter much as long as the model is not Gargantuan (a.k.a monsters).
* Attacking is done in a single roll: you throw as many dice the attack has and if you succeed the roll, does damage. Depending of the Strength of the attack and the Toughness of the target you can go from 3+ to 5+, with 6's being Critical hits. You do damage directly for each successful dice (no armor save here, folks) and Criticals do even more damage.
* GDjubz in all wisdom has now ceased the cards except the "faction boxes" and all the rules are currently in the associated Faction books. Maybe cards will return...? Previously instead of the tried-and-true methods of armybooks and regular profiles, the game goes the way of many skirmish games of late like [[Malifaux]], and all the rules of a particular warband and their models are printed in cards instead of the Core rulebook: the kind of units available with the special rules of the units in the reverse and cards that detail all the unit's stats. The warband boxed sets include a complete set of cards for each type of fighter included in the box, and there are decks you can buy to take a warband from an age of sigmar faction.
**The units have locked equipment, determined in their cards but some units have different cards with different equipment which is more prevalent in the non-Chaos warbands. For example, the Iron Legionnaires of the Iron Golems can be equipped with one-hand weapons and shields, two hammers or a whip and hammer.
*The game sports a weird as fuck Initiative roll, which is done at the top of each battle round in the Hero Phase. Let's do it slowly: at the beginning of each Hero Phase, each player rolls 6D6, then they separate their dice not based on Successes like 3+, nor highest rolls, but by [[VeloCITY|the number of dice results that are repeated]] Yup, is as weird as it sounds, but it's also kind of like a mini-game at the beginning of each round. Those dice that don't repeat are Singles and the player with the most Singles wins Initiative for the battle round. The dice that repeat are Doubles, Triples or Quad, depending if they repeat twice, three or four times respectively. These pairings of dice are used as fuel for your warband's Abilities, and are, ironically, referred to as ability dice. Not only do you need to keep the ability dice or record what doubles/triples/quads you got for the remainder of the battle round, you also need to keep or record the actual numbers you got, as they can also have an effect on your Abilities. Once Initiative is determined, Singles can be discarded.
**Tied Initiative: In the case of a tie, player's do not reroll the whole thing. They just roll-off and the player with the highest result wins. Why not just do this anyway? <s>Cause you are a little more than a mortal who cannot comprehend</s> ahem Cause the initial roll of 6D6 determines your ability dice, and you don't get a reroll on that.
**Wild Dice/Stealing the Initiative: In the Hero Phase you also have the Wild dice. This is a single die you get each round to add to any place in the roll, either adding another Single or upgrading any doubles into Triples, or Triples into Quads. Any Wild dice not spent are kept to the next turn. This gives the game an interesting layer of strategy that relies on both randomness and using in-the-moment chances, which pleases [[Tzeentch|you-know-who]] (this is about Chaos, any surprises?). So you might find yourself weighing up what's more important, stealing the Initiative, or improving your ability dice.
*Abilities are Warcry's stratagems. Player's can use either ONE of their warband's Abilities or ONE of the Core Book's Universal Abilities when they activate one of their fighters. Now this is why it is important to keep your ability dice and what numbers you got exactly. To use an Ability with the Doubles keyword, you spend a double by discarding a pair of ability dice that came up with the same number. Same treatment for Triples and Quads. Secondly, some Abilities will mention the value of the ability dice: this means actual dice number that was repeated for each of your Doubles and so on. So for instance, if you use an Ability that deals an amount of damage equal to the value of the ability dice you use to activate it, and you use a pair of 5's, the damage that the Ability will deal is 5.
**Spending Down: You can also spend a Triple to use a Double Ability, or a Quad to use either a Triple or Double, but the excess dice will be discarded, so it's not like you can split your Quads into Doubles by just using 2 of the dice and leaving.
**'''Reactions:''' Introduced with Heart of Ghur, you now have reactions to use, with each faction gaining one unique reaction and some universal rules. These can only be used when a fighter either was not yet activated or used the Wait action as their first turn. This will eat up an action for fighting, meaning a fighter that reacts before activating can only take one action and cannot Wait to blow another reaction while one that spent an action to Wait cannot activate again.

It should be noted that there is a pretty steep power disparity between the "pure" Chaos warbands which were designed and developed specifically for Warcry and the AoS warbands who merely received some warband cards so that [[Games_Workshop|GeeDubs]] could siphon more £££ out of us lowly mortals. With the release of the second wave of warband cards, it doesn't seem like this issue is getting resolved anytime soon. In fact it appears to be getting worse. Keep this in mind if you are planning on getting into it.

[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/RO4P6Y3Cil21PcV8.pdf| FAQ and Errata]

[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/lWKyFJUKEGebDukF.pd Core rules] so you don't need to buy a full box just to play.

[https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/08/18/charge-headlong-into-warcry-with-free-core-rules-to-download/ Also includes links to the various warbands] released prior to Heart of Ghur

===Universal Abilities===
* '''[Double] Rush''': +1 to the Move characteristic of this fighter until the end of their activation.
* '''[Double] Onslaught''': +1 to the Attacks characteristic of attack actions made by this fighter that have a Range characteristic of 3 or less until the end of their activation.
* '''[Triple] Respite''': Cannot use this ability if they are within 1" of any enemy fighters. Remove a number of damage points allocated to this fighter equal to the value of this ability.
* '''[Triple] Inspiring Presence''': Pick a friendly fighter that has not activated yet this battle round and that is within 6" of this fighter. You can activate that fighter immediately after the activation of this fighter ends. (Leader ability)
* '''[Quad] Rampage''': This fighter makes a bonus move action. Then, they can make a bonus attack action.
* '''[Reaction] Counter''': Triggered when an enemy targets this fighter in melee but before they roll to hit. For every miss the enemy makes, they suffer 1 damage while any natural 1s to hit have them suffer 2 damage.
* '''[Reaction] Take Cover''': Triggered when an enemy shoots this fighter while they're behind cover but before they roll to hit. Roll a d6 for any crits the enemy scores, on a 4+ that crit degrades to a regular hit. Cannot be used on units with the Mount tag.
* '''[Reaction] Strike them Down''': Triggered when an enemy within 1" tries to disengage. The fighter gets to deal d6 damage on a 4+, giving a potentially nasty parting gift.

===Heroic Traits===
* '''Ferocious Fighter''': All the leader's melee attacks gain an extra attack.
* '''Agile Warrior''': +1 to the leader's movement
* '''Hardy Constitution''': Each time the leader activates (including after waiting), the leader heals d3 wounds.
* '''Resourceful''': Your army gains an additional Wild Die if the leader is fielded.
* '''Thick Skinned''': Whenever the leader is attacked, one of the enemy's critical hits is degraded to a normal hit.
# '''Skilled Commander''': The leader can use the Inspiring Presence ability for free once per game.

{{clear}}

== Tactics ==

=== Deployment groups ===
* Shield is usually on the field early, followed by Dagger, then hammer. Thus, put important units in Shield.
* Consider movement speed. A fast unit can better go into Hammer, since it can catch up.
* Put the leader in the biggest/tankiest group, to protect him.
* If you get to pick deployment, consider terrain features as well as reinforcement ingress.
* If you know the Win conditions before deploying, it makes a big difference. Take your time to make the right choice.

=== Win conditions ===
* Always play the scenario, not your opponent. Killing does not necessarily mean winning.
* If you have more units than your opponent, look for ways to use this for winning.

=== Warband configuration ===
* Units fill different roles.
* At the least, you can differentiate between: Tank (Hard to kill), Destroyer (High damage), Chaff (Cheap)
* You want a spread of roles - not just one type. But some warbands excel at specific roles.
* Number of bodies is a feature in it self.
* High movement/fly is important for a lot of missions. A high speed Destroyer is good for assassination.
* Ranged weapons are generally weak/over priced, but have high tactical utility. They are very vulnerable to Twists and deployment. If your warband can field a strong ranged unit type, consider bringing one, but only one.

=== Abilities ===
* In the early game, you should save wild dice, but once you are past round 2, you run the risk of wasting them, so be more eager to spend them.
* Seizing initiative is generally undesirable in round 1, but gets important in later rounds.
* Abilities synergise with specific units. Take that in to consideration, when configuring the roster.
* Quads are unreliable, so don't plan around them. Triples are much easier to get.

=== Action economy ===
* If you out number your opponent, you can force them to act before you by moving less important units first.
* This works best when you are not yet engaged in combat.
* Remember that you can use the Wait action to further push this agenda.

==Warcry (Chaos) Warbands==
An interesting detail that ties all the warbands together is the fact they all know little to nothing about the dark gods, referring to them with pseudo names, titles, or even worshipping lesser/greater daemons as the actual gods themselves. Those who travel to the Eightpoints see Archaon-senpai as a physical embodiment of Chaos and fight for his approval. Interestingly enough, a new non-chaos warband has been revealed which could indicate a trend for future releases.

===[[Warcry/Tactics/Iron Golems|Iron Golems]]===
[[File:IronGolems-Warcry.jpg|400px|right]]

[[Warcry/Tactics/Iron Golems|Iron Golems]] tactics. '''"We Create War!"''' Hailing from the Realm of Metal, these obnoxiously Norwegian-accented warriors are renowned for the quality of their smithing, believing themselves chosen by [[Archaon]] himself to forge arms and armor for the [[Slaves to Darkness]]. They also have both [[Chaos Dwarfs|Duardin]] and [[Ogre Kingdoms|Ogors]]. They seem to be the most [[Warriors of Chaos|Classically Chaos]] of the warbands.

* '''[Double] Throw Bolas''': Pick a visible enemy fighter within 6" of this fighter and roll 2 dice. For each roll of 4-5, allocate 1 damage point to that fighter. For each roll of 6, allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability. (Universal ability)
* '''[Double] Spine-crushing Blow''': Add the value of this ability to the Strength characteristic of the next attack action made by this fighter this activation that has a Range characteristic of 3 or less. (Brute ability)
* '''[Double] Lead with Strength''': A fighter can use this ability only if an enemy fighter has been taken down by an attack action made by them this activation. This fighter makes a bonus move action or a bonus attack action. (Leader ability)
* '''[Triple] Living Battering Ram''': Until the end of this fighter's activation, the next time this fighter finishes a move action within 1" of an enemy fighter, pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter. Allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability. (Destroyer ability)
* '''[Triple] Stand Defiant''': Until the end of the battle round, add 1 to the Toughness characteristic of friendly fighters while they are within 6" of this fighter. (Bulwark ability)
* '''[Quad] Whirlwind of Death''': Allocate a number of damage points to all visible enemy fighters within 3" of this fighter equal to the value of this ability. (Berserker ability)

===[[Untamed Beasts]]===
[[File:UntamedBeasts.jpg|400px|right]]

[[Warcry/Tactics/Untamed Beasts|Untamed Beasts]] tactics. '''"Hunt the Hunter!"''' Bloodthirsty predators (Not ''that'' kind, [[Slaanesh]]!) from the Realm of Beasts, these primal cultists bring the old school Chaos Marauder vibe with their adornments and weapons made of bone and leather. Of course, what's a good [[Conan the Barbarian|Conan]] cosplay without some [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx8sl2uC46A| MUSCULARITY]? They appear to be accompanied by a horned lion creature from the bestial realm of Ghur, fully equipped with [[Rage|My Little Pony]]-ish hip brand.

* '''[Double] Savage Fury''': Add 1 to the Move characteristic of this fighter for the next move action they make this activation, and add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of the next attack action they make this activation. (Universal ability)
* '''[Double] All-out Attack''': A fighter can use this ability only if an enemy fighter has been taken down by an attack action made by them this activation. This fighter makes a bonus move action or a bonus attack action. (Leader ability)
* '''[Double] Beastmaster''': Pick a visible friendly fighter with the '''Beast runemark''' within 4" of this fighter. That fighter makes a bonus attack action. (Agile ability)
* '''[Triple] Pounce''': Until the end of this fighter's activation, the next time this fighter finishes a move action within 1" of an enemy fighter, pick a visibile enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter. Allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability. (Beast ability)
* '''[Triple] Harpoon Snag''': This fighter makes a bonus attack action. After that attack action, the fighter targeted by that attack action makes a bonus move action directly towards this fighter, as if they were jumping, a number of inches equal to the value of this ability. (Brute ability)
* '''[Quad] Unleash the Beast''': Until the end of the battle round, add half the value of this ability (rounding up) to the Attacks and Strength characteristics of attack actions made by this fighter that have a Range characteristic of 3 or less. (Universal ability)

===[[Splintered_Fang|Splintered Fang]]===
[[File:SplinterFang-Warcry.jpg|400px|right]]

[[Warcry/Tactics/Splintered Fang|Splintered Fang]] tactics. '''"One Cut, One Kill!"''' A Chaos murder cult from <strike>Cobra Command</strike> the Realm of Life, these guys are another multi-race warband, including both humans and [[elf|aelves]], and have a Spartan/Gladiator aesthetic. And snakes. They ''really'' like snakes. Like... a lot.

* '''[Double] Poisoned Weapon''': Until the end of this fighter's activation, the Strength characteristic of attack actions made by this fighter count as being higher than the target's Toughness characteristic. (Universal ability)
* '''[Double] Ensnaring Net''': Pick a visible enemy fighter within 3" of this fighter. Until the end of the battle round, that enemy fighter cannot make more actions or disengage actions. (Leader ability)
* '''[Double] Fanged Buckler''': Pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter and roll a dice. on a 3-4, allocate 1 damage point to that fighter. On a 5-6, allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability. (Bulwark ability)
* '''[Triple] Snake Charmer''': Pick a friendly fighter with the '''beast runemark''' within 4" of this fighter. That fighter makes a bonus attack action. (Mystic ability)
* '''[Triple] Relentless Killer''': A fighter can use this ability only if an enemy fighter has been taken down by an attack action made by them this activation. This fighter makes a bonus attack action. (Brute ability)
* '''[Quad] Paralyzing Venom''': Until the end of this fighter's activation, add the value of this ability to the damage points allocated by critical hits from attack actions made by this fighter, and after each attack action made by this fighter, roll a dice. On a 5-6, until the end of the battle round, the target fighter cannot make a more action or disengage action. (Universal ability)

===[[Corvus Cabal]]===
[[File:CorvusCabal-Warcry.jpg|400px|right]]

[[Warcry/Tactics/Corvus Cabal|Corvus Cabal]] tactics. '''"Pick Clean the Corpse!"''' A Lost Boys-Go-Metal tribe from the Shadow Realm of Ulgu who worship Chaos in the form of a crow called the Great Gatherer, and as such have a heavy crow theme going on.

* '''[Double] Raven Dart''': Pick a visible enemy within 8" and roll a dice. On a 3-5, allocate 1 damage point to enemy. On a 6, allocate a number of damage points to target equal to the value of this ability. (Universal ability)
* '''[Double] Swift Climb''': Until the end of this fighter's activation, do not count the vertical distance moved when this fighter is climbing. (Elite ability)
* '''[Double] Harrying Raven''': Pick an enemy within 20" of this fighter. Until the end of the battle round, said unit cannot make disengage actions. (Scout ability)
* '''[Triple] Sweeping Attack''': The ally unit makes a bonus move action. In addition, if the unit finishes that move action 3" or more vertically lower than their starting position, they can make a bonus attack. (Agile ability)
* '''[Triple] Grisly Trophy''': Until the end of the battle round, add 1 to the Attack characteristic of attack actions that have a Range of 3 or less made by visible friendly fighters while they are within 6" of this fighter. (Leader ability)
* '''[Quad] Death from Above''': This fighter makes a bonus move action, then they may make a bonus attack action. Add 1 to the Strength characteristic of the bonus attack if the fighter finished the preceding bonus move 3" or more vertically lower than their starting position. (Universal?? Hard to tell from pictures).

===[[The Unmade]]===
[[File:TheUnmade-Warcry.jpg|400px|right]]

[[Warcry/Tactics/The Unmade|The Unmade]] tactics. '''"Agony is Our Gift!"''' A Warband originating in Shyish, the Realm of Death, these Chaos followers revel in both enduring and brandishing physical torment and pain as a weapon. Their favorite pastimes include long walks through the torture chambers, wanton sadism, and severing their own limbs and faces. Lots of spikes and chains, even some heavy metal stilts. Can you say [[Darkest Dungeon]]? They also wear their faces as belts. How nice.

* '''[Double] Nightmarish Visage''': Pick an enemy fighter within a number of inches of this fighter equal to the value of this ability and roll a dice. On a 3+, until the end of the battle round, that fighter cannot make move actions or disengage actions. (Universal ability)
* '''[Double] Barbed Strike''': Until the end of this fighter's activation, if any attack action made by this fighter scores any hits or critical hits, subtract 1 from the Toughness characteristic (to a minimum of 1) of the target fighter until the end of the battle round. (Universal ability)
* '''[Double] Chain Garrote''': Pick an enemy fighter within 5" of this fighter and roll a dice. On a 3-4, allocate 1 damage point to that fighter. On a 5-6, allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability. (Minion ability)
* '''[Triple] Flaying Frenzy''': Roll a dice for each visible enemy fighter within 3" of this fighter. On a 3-4, allocate 1 damage point to the fighter being rolled for. On a 5-6, allocate a number of damage points to the fighter being rolled for equal to the value of this ability. (Destroyer ability)
* '''[Triple] Vessel of Torment''': A fighter can use this ability only if an enemy fighter has been taken down by an attack action made by them this activation. This fighter makes a bonus move action. Then, they can make a bonus attack action. (Leader ability)
* '''[Quad] Gift of Agony''': This fighter makes a bonus attack action. Add 1 to the Strength and Attacks characteristics of that attack action if this fighter has any damage points allocated to them. (Universal ability)

===[[Cypher Lords]]===
[[File:CypherLords-Warcry.jpg|400px|right]]

[[Warcry/Tactics/Cypher Lords|Cypher Lords]] tactics. '''"Let Madness Reign!"''' Hailing from the Realm of Light, these cultists bring a little more of a civilized and seductive bent to chaos. Their attire is the crisp equivalent of drycleaned Chaos, looking like what would happen if Slaanesh designed the Thousand Sons. They believe the only way to truly worship Chaos is to be batshit insane and strive to send the Realms spiraling into madness. They are also, interestingly enough, the first insight into what life is like in Hysh, the Realm of Light, before the [[Lumineth Realm-Lords]] were released. No Teclis and Tyrion here, folks!

* '''[Double] Throwing Stars and Chakrams''': Pick a visible enemy fighter within 6" of this fighter and roll 2 dice. For each roll of a 4-5, allocate 1 damage point to that fighter. For each roll of 6, allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability. (Universal ability)
* '''[Double] Acrobatic Leap''': This fighter can fly when making move actions until the end of their activation; however, when flying, they cannot move vertically upwards more than 3". (Universal ability)
* '''[Double] Low Sweeping Blow''': Roll 1 dice for each visible enemy fighter within 2" of this fighter. On a 4-5, allocate 1 damage point to the fighter being rolled for. On a 6, allocate a number of damage points to the fighter being rolled for equal to the value of this ability. (Destroyer ability)
* '''[Triple] Shadowy Recall''': Pick a friendly fighter with the '''Minion runemark''' that is within 12" of this fighter. Remove that fighter from the battlefield and then immediately set them up anywhere on the battlefield within a number of inches of this fighter equal to the value of this ability. (Mystic ability)
* '''[Triple] Shattered Gloom Globe''': Until the end of the battle round, subtract 1 from the Attacks characteristic (to a minimum of 1) of the attack actions made by enemy fighters while they are within 6" of this fighter. (Leader ability)
* '''[Quad] Spinning Somersault Strike''': This fighter can fly when making move actions until the end of their activation; however when flying, they cannot move vertically upwards more than 3". In addition, this fighter makes a bonus move action. Then, they can make a bonus attack action. (Universal ability)

===[[Spire Tyrants]]===
[[File:SpireTyrants-Warcry.jpg|400px|right]]

[[Warcry/Tactics/Spire Tyrants|Spire Tyrants]] tactics. '''“We are His Chosen!”''' Already native to the Eightpoints, the Spire Tyrants are elite gladiators who work in the fighting pits of the Varanspire. Having mastered the arena, they seek further status in service to [[Archaon]]. They are more like Warriors of Chaos-lite, or heavily armored Mauraders. Their merry band of gladiators includes both a chaos duardin and a bestigor.

* '''[Double] Pit Fighter''': A fighter can use this ability only if an enemy fighter has been taken down by an attack action made by them this activation. This fighter can make a bonus move action or a bonus attack action.
* '''[Double] Gladiator's Net''': Pick a visible enemy fighter within 3" of this fighter and roll 1 dice. On a 3+, that fighter cannot make move actions or disengage actions this battle round.
* '''[Double] Shield Ram''': Until the end of this fighter's activation, the next time this fighter finishes a move action, pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter and roll 1 dice. On a 4-5, allocate 1 damage point to that fighter. oOn a 6, allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability.
* '''[Triple] Readied Stance''': until the end os the battle round, add half the value of this ability (rounding up) to the toughness characteristic of this fighter.
* '''[Triple] Champion of the Warpits''': A fighter can use this ability only if an enemy fighter has been taken down by an attack action made by them this activation. Until then end of this battle round, add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of attack actions made by visible friendly fighters within 6" of this fighter.
* '''[Quad] Brutal Strike''': Pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter and roll 1 dice. On a 3-4, allocate a number of damage point to that fighter equal to the value of this ability. On a 5-6, allocate a number of damage point to that fighter equal to double the value of this ability.

===[[Scions of Flame]]===
[[File:7dc9694a.jpg|400px|right]]

[[Warcry/Tactics/Scions of the Flame|Scions of the Flame]] Tactics. '''“Unleash the flame within!”''' The last of the warbands from the core book. The Scions of the Flame are a chaos warband from [[Aqshy]], the Realm of Fire. They worship an aspect of chaos called the Ever-Raging Flame, basically a giant wildfire they believe will consume the mortal realms. They like fire so much that one of them is literally on fire.

*'''Fiery Might (Double, Everyone)''' Add half the value of the dice roll used for this ability (rounding up) to the Strength characteristic of attacks made by this fighter with a Range of 3 or less until the end of this fighter’s activation.
*'''Beheading Strike (Double, Brazen Champion, Blazing Lord)''' Add half the value of the dice roll used for this ability (rounding up) to the damage points of critical hits from the next attack made by this fighter with a Range of 3 or less this activation.
*'''Throw Firebomb (Double, Initiate with Flameburst Pot, Initiate with Brazier Weapon and Flameburst pot, Fireborn ) '''Roll 2 dice against an enemy fighter within 6 inches. For each roll of 4-5, do 1 damage to that fighter. For each roll of 6, do damage to that fighter equal to the value of the dice roll used for this ability.
*'''Inferno (Triple, Immolator)''' For each enemy fighter within 3 inches of this fighter, roll a dice. On a roll of 4-5, do 1 damage to the fighter being rolled for. On a roll of 6, do damage to the fighter being rolled for equal to the value of the dice roll used for this ability.
*'''Ignited Fervour (Triple, Blazing Lord)'''Add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of attack actions with Range 3 or less of friendly fighters while they are within 6 inches of this fighter until the end of the battle round.
*'''Engulf in Flames (Quad, Inferno Priest) '''Roll 6 dice against an enemy fighter within 3 inches of this fighter. For each roll of 2 or more, do damage to that fighter equal to half the value of the dice roll for this ability (rounding up). Additionally, for each roll of 6, roll 1 extra dice in the same way, and repeat until you roll no more rolls of 6.

===[[Khainite Shadowstalkers]]===
[[File:7e-EQr0 I2 c0 wT.png|400px|right]]

[[Warcry/Tactics/Khainite Shadowstalkers|Khainite Shadowstalkers]] Tactics.'''“Night is our weapon”''' The first non-chaos warband introduced to the game, the khainite shadowstalkers are made up entirely of aelves from Ulgu, the Realm of Shadow. They are spies used by Morathi to enforce her will across other realms, in this case, the Eightpoints. They are focused on stealth and apparently draw inspiration from classic fantasy dark elves. Canonically killed off after they got so corrupted by varanite that Morathi "mercy" kills them, RIP.

* '''[Double] Shadow Leap:''' This fighter can fly when making move actions until the end of their activation.
* '''[Double] Cursed Darts:''' Pick a visable enemy fighter within 9" and roll 2 dice. For each roll of 4+, allocate 2 damage points to that fighter. In addition if either dice rolled a 6, half the Move characteristic of that fighter until the end of the battle round.
* '''[Double] Instrument of Khaine:''' A fighter can use this ability only if an enemy fighter has been taken down by an attack action made by them this activation. This fighter makes a bonus move action or a bonus attack action.
* '''[Triple] Harness Darkness:''' Until the end of the battle round, subtract 1 from the Attacks characteristic (to a minimum of 1) of attack actions made by enemy fighters that target a fighter within 3" of this fighter.
* '''[Triple] Dance of Death:''' Until the end of this fighter's activation, this fighter can finish disengage actions within 1" of enemy fighters.
* '''[Quad] Ensnaring Darkness:''' Allocate a number of damage points equal to the value of this ability to all visible enemy fighters within 3" of this fighter. Instead, the fighter can draw their shadow blood, if they do so, allocate 3 damage points to this fighter and a number of damage points equal to the value of this ability to all visable enemy fighters within 6" of this fighter.

===Darkoath Savagers===
Introduced in the Red Harvest box. The Darkoath Barbarians are essentially what remains of the old Chaos Marauders and the like, a bunch of angry men in loincloths who fight with large weapons to honor the gods.

===Tarantulos Brood===
Introduced in the Red Harvest box. These freaky man-spiders are the result of prolonged exposure to Varanite, the very realmstone of the Varanspire. They constantly collect this stuff as tribute to their patron, a Spider-God who is completely different from the ones the Spiderfang Grots follow.

===Rotmire Creed===
Introduced in the Heart of Ghur box. A Nurglite band of guerilla warriors who experiment on their victims with all sorts of horrid diseases in pursuit of some sort of immortality.

===Horns of Hashut===
Introduced in the Heart of Ghur box. Turns out that [[Hashut]] has plenty of followers that aren't [[Chaos Dwarfs|evil tall-hatted Dwarfs]] in this edition. They're just as violent and dedicated to burning down everything as well, so this might be considered a net positive to his portfolio.

===Chaos Legionnaires===
Be'lakor's boys!

==Non-Warcry Only Warbands==
In addition to the eight original warbands duking it out in the myriad of locales of the Eightpoints, many other groups of warriors have been announced in the form of Warband Cards. These card sets will allow the following factions to join in the battles, bringing all new combinations and flavours of combat to the Varanspire! Unfortunately, we aren't getting new minis for them though, which is a huge bummer, seeing as the Chaos minis look [[awesome]] However, you can always use the [[Warhammer Underworlds]]' ones when applicable.

The First wave added nine warbands from the AoS army list.

The second wave has added nine more additional factions, as well as prebuilt warbands for the Nighthaunt, Gloomspite Gitz, and Stormcast Vanguard Chamber.

And not long after a third wave included eight more factions.

There is a current total of 34 factions.
{{clear}}

===[[_Age_of_Sigmar#Order|Order]]===
====[[Stormcast Eternals]]====

=====[[Warcry/Tactics/Stormcast Eternals Vanguard Chamber|Stormcast Eternals Vanguard]]=====
[[File:WCSCEVC.jpg|300px|right]]

This is Age of Sigmar, so OF COURSE, the sigmarite bois are going to be present. A surprisingly ranged Warband with some potential in melee and mobility. Stormcast troop choices are, Vanguard Hunters, Vanguard Raptors with Longstrike crossbow or Hurricane Crossbow, Gryphhound, and Aetherwing, For all three ranged fighters there is also a Leader option. Special for SCE is their Leaders have the same Fighting and weapon characteristics as the troopers just with 30 instead of 20 wounds (Lifepoints)

* '''[Double] Tireless Hunters''': Add half the value of this ability (rounding up) to the move characteristic of this fighter for the next move action they make this activation. (Universal ability)
**''Fighter Commentary:''

* '''[Double] Warning Cry''': Pick a visible enemy fighter within 6" of this fighter. Until the end of the battle round, you can re-roll 1 dice during attack actions made by friendly fighters that target that fighter. (Aetherwing)
**''Fighter Commentary:'' this is strong in any faction, especially one that specializes in guns. Pick any linchpin fighter then annihilate him.

* '''[Triple] Darting Attack''': This fighter makes a bonus attack action. Then, they can then make a bonus disengage action. (Gryphhound)
**''Fighter Commentary:''

* '''[Triple] Rapid Fire''': Add half the value of this ability (rounding up) to the attacks characteristic of the next attack action made by this fighter this activation. (Hurricane Crossbow)
**''Fighter Commentary:''

* '''[Triple] Ride the Winds Atheric''':
**''Fighter Commentary:''

* '''[Quad] Aimed Strike''': Add the value of this ability to the damage points allocated to enemy fighters by each hit or critical hit from attack actions made by this fighter this activation. (Longstrike Crossbow)
**''Fighter Commentary:''

======Leader======

* '''[Double] name''':
**''Fighter Commentary:''

* '''[Double] Righteous Aura''': Until the end of the battle round, add 1 to the toughness characteristic of friendly fighters while they are within 6" of this fighter. (Leader)
**''Fighter Commentary:''

* '''[Triple] name''':
**''Fighter Commentary:''

* '''[Quad] name''':
**''Fighter Commentary:''

=====[[Warcry/Tactics/Stormcast Eternals Warrior Chamber|Stormcast Eternals Warrior Chamber]]=====
[[File:WCSCEWC.jpg|300px|right]]
Sigmarines of sigmar.

* '''[Double] Furious Avengers''': A fighter can use this ability only if there is another friendly fighter within 6" of this fighter with 1 or more damage points allocated to them. This fighter makes a bonus move action.
**''Fighter Commentary:''

* '''[Double] Lay Low the Tyrants''': Until the end of this fighter's activation, add 2 to the Attacks and Strength characteristic of attack actions made by this fighter that have a Range characteristic of 3 or less and that an enemy fighter with a Wounds characteristic of 15 or more. (Liberator)
**''Fighter Commentary:''

* '''[Double] Sigmarite Shield Bash''': Until the end of this fighter's activation, the next time this fighter finishes a move action within 1" of an enemy fighter, pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter and roll a dice. On a 3-4, allocate 1 damage point to that fighter. On a 5-6, allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability. (Fighter with Shield)
**''Fighter Commentary:''

* '''[Triple] Darting Attack''': this fighter makes a bounus attack action. then, they can make a bonus disengage action.
**''Fighter Commentary:''

* '''[Triple] Wings of Divine Life''': Add the value of this ability to the Move characteristic of this fighter for the next move action they make this activation.
**''Fighter Commentary:''

* '''[Quad] Earth-shattering Blow''': This fighter makes a bonus attack action. In addition , add half the value of this ability (rounding up) tot eh damage points allocated by each hit and critical hit from that attack action.
**''Fighter Commentary:''

======Leader======

* '''[Double] Warcloak's Storm Magic''':
**''Fighter Commentary:'' (leader)

* '''[Triple] Staunch Defender''': Until the end of the battle round, add 1 to the Toughness characteristic of friendly fighters while they are within 6" of this fighter. (Leader)
**''Fighter Commentary:'' (leader)

* '''[Triple] Battle-horn Thunderblast''':
**''Fighter Commentary:'' (leader)

* '''[Tripple] Lantern of Abjuration''':
**''Fighter Commentary:'' (leader)

* '''[Tripple] Warding Lantern''':
**''Fighter Commentary:'' (leader)

* '''[Tripple] Lightning Storm''':
**''Fighter Commentary:'' (leader)

* '''[Quad] Tempest Winds''':
**''Fighter Commentary:'' (leader)

=====[[Warcry/Tactics/Stormcast Eternals Sacrosanct Chamber|Stormcast Eternals Sacrosanct Chamber]]=====
[[File:WCSCESC.jpg|300px|right]]
The Sigmarines' wizards. Normally they guard the Anvil of Apotheosis, but following the Necroquake Sigmar has seen fit to have them join the rest of the Stormcasts in battle.

* '''[Double] Channeled Empowerment:''' Until the end of this fighter's activation, add the value of this ability to the Strength characteristic of the next attack action made by this fighter that has a Range characteristic of 3 of less. (all)
* '''[Double] Summon Celestial Lightning:''' Pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter and roll a number of dice equal to the value of this ability. For each 4+, allocate 1 damage point to that enemy fighter. (Evocator)
* '''[Double] Cleanse the Realms of Taint:''' when a leader takes down enemy, can make a bonus move or attack action. (leader)
* '''[Triple] Burst of Celestial Lighting:''' add half this ability's value (round up) to this fighter's hits and crits damage during next attack action against an enemy more than 3" away. (Castigators)
* '''[Triple] Soul-Shield:''' Until the end of the battle round, add ability's value to fighter's toughness. (Sequitor with shield)
* '''[Quad] Open the Redemption cache:''' all visible enemy fighters within 3" take damage equal to this ability's value. (Sequitor-Prime with Redemption Cache)

====[[Daughters of Khaine]]====
[[File:WCSOK.jpg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Daughters of Khaine|Daughters of Khaine]] tactics. [[Morathi]] thinks of the Varanspire as a legitimate threat, and all damage done here is good. Typical glass cannons as always Witches, Melusai, and Khinerai form the roster of this faction.

* '''[Double] Bathe in Blood:''' Universal. A fighter can use this ability only if they are within 3" of a visible enemy fighter with 1 or more damage points allocated to them. Until the end of this fighters activation, add 1 to the Attacks and Strength characteristics of attack actions made by this fighter.

* '''[Double] Turned To Crystal:''' Blood Sisters only. Pick a visible enemy fighter within 6" of this fighter and roll 2 dice. For each roll of a 4-5, allocate 1 damage point to that fighter. For each roll of a 6, allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability.

* '''[Triple] Heartseekers:''' Blood Stalkers only. If the next attack action made by this fighter this activation scores one or more critical hits, and the target fighter is more than 3" away, allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability.

* '''[Triple] Slaughter's Strength:''' Universal. Until the end of this fighters activation, add the value of this ability to the Strength characteristic of attack actions made by this fighter that have a range characteristic of 3 or less.

* '''[Triple] Sacrifice to Khaine:''' Leaders (of any type) only. A fighter can use this ability only if an enemy fighter has been taken down by an attack action made by them this activation. Until the end of the battle round, add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of attack actions that have a Range characteristic of 3 or less made by visible friendly fighters while they are within 6" of this fighter.

* '''[Quad] Death on the Wind:''' Khinerai (of both type) only. This fighter makes a bonus move action. Then, they can make a bonus attack action. In addition, add 1 to the Strength characteristic of that attack action if the fighter finished the move action 6" or more from their starting position.

====[[Idoneth Deepkin]]====
[[File:WCID.jpeg|200px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Idoneth Deepkin|Idoneth Deepkin]] tactics. Some Idoneth are willing to take the risk of using tainted souls for their nourishment. Namarti of Both Kinds and eel riders form a rather extreme band of either cheap units with some strength or expensive steamrolling cavalry with 25 wounds base.

* '''[Double] Low Tide:''' First turn only, universal. Fighter gets a bonus move equal to the value of the ability.
* '''[Double] Sweeping Blow:''' Namarti Thralls only. Roll a dice for each visible enemy fighter within 2 of this fighter, dealing 1 damage to that fighter on a 5, and damage equal to the value of this ability on a 6.
* '''[Double] Storm Fire:''' Namarti Reavers only. Add one to the Attacks characteristic of this models attacks that target a model outside of 3 inches (so its bow).
* '''[Triple] High Tide:''' Leader only, on third turn only. Add 1 to attacks and strength characters of friendly models attacks with range 3 or less when they're within 6 of the leader.
* '''[Triple] Biovolatic Barrier:''' Ishlaen Guard only. Crits hitting this fighter count as hits. Given Ishlaen Guard have 25 wounds base, this ability is horrifying, especially against Crit hunting Warbands.
* '''[Quad] Biovoltaic Blast:''' Morrsarr Guard only. Deals damage equal to the value of this ability to every visible enemy fighter within 3 of this fighter.

====[[Kharadron Overlords]]====
[[File:WCKO.jpg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Kharadron Overlords|Kharadron Overlords]] tactics. Kharadron Overlords are one of the newest Warband, and also first Dorfs in Warcry. They do a LOT of shooting, as they do in Age of Sigmar.

* '''[Double] Ancestral Fortitude:''' Until the end of the battle round, add 1 to the Toughness characteristic of this fighter.
* '''[Double] Grapnel Launcher:''' A fighter can use this ability only if they are more than 3" from any enemy fighters. Pick a point on an obstacle within 20" from this fighter. Remove this fighter from the battlefield and then immediately set them up on the battlefield within 3" of the point picked.
* '''[Double] Harrying Drillbill:''' Pick an enemy fighter within 20" of this fighter. Until the end of the battle round, that fighter cannot make any disengage actions.
* '''[Triple] Keep Your Distance:''' A fighter can use this ability only if they are within 3" of an enemy fighter. This fighter makes a bonus disengage action.
* '''[Triple] Fight For Profit:''' Until the end of the battle round, add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of attack actions made by friendly fighters within 6" of this fighter. If this fighter is carrying treasure or is within 3" of an objective, add 2 to the Attacks characteristic instead.
* '''[Quad] Timed Charges:''' A fighter can use this ability only if they are within 3" of an enemy fighter. Allocate a number of damage points equal to the value of this ability to enemy fighters within 1" of this fighter. Then, this fighter makes a bonus disengage action.

====[[Fyreslayers]]====
[[File:WCfebWDF.jpg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Fyreslayers|Fyreslayers]] tactics. New rules and fighter cards for using Fyreslayers in your games of Warcry are available in February White Dwarf 2020. Be warned, they like hitting stuff hard and setting things on fire! Includes rules for 10 different loadouts over three fighter types.

* '''[Double] Fyresteel Throwing Axe''': Pick a visible enemy fighter within 6" of your one and roll 2D6. The enemy fighter gets 1 damage for every 4-5 rolled, while for each 6 it takes damages equal to the value of the ability dice.
* '''[Double] Encase in Molten Rock''': Until the end of the fighter's activation, when the fighter attacks an enemy fighter their movement is reduced of half the value of the ability dice.
* '''[Double] Relentless Zeal''': +3 Move to a fighter's next move action.
* '''[Triple] Duty Unto Death''': Can be used only by fighters who suffered 5+ damage. Fighter gets a bonus movement action, followed by a bonus attack action.
* '''[Triple] Honour Our Oaths''': Activates after one of your fighters defeats an enemy fighter. Every other friendly fighter within 6" of that one gets +1 to the attack stat for attack profiles with range 3" or less.
* '''[Quad] Unleash Runic Fury''': The fighter using this action gets the value of the ability dice to the number of attacks they can do with 3 or less range.

====[[Sylvaneth]]====
[[File:WCSYL.png|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Sylvaneth|Sylvaneth]] tactics. Wether they were tree spirits driven mad by the coming of Chaos or devout servants of the Everqueen seeking to purge of the Varanspire of taint, the Bloodwind Spoils have no shortage of Sylvaneth.

* '''[Double] Draw from the Spirit-song:''' Remove a number of damage points allocated to this fighter equal to half the value of this ability (rounding up). (Universal Ability)
* '''[Double] Trample Underfoot:''' Pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter and roll a number of dice equal to the value of this ability. For each 4+, allocate 1 damage point to that fighter. (Kurnoth Hunters)
* '''[Double] Shrieking Terror:''' Pick a visible enemy fighter within a number of inches equal to the value of this ability and roll a dice. On a 3+, until the end of the battle round, that fighter cannot make move actions or disengage actions. (Spite-Revenants)
* '''[Triple] Enrapturing Song:''' Pick a visible enemy fighter within a number of inches equal to the value of this ability. Until the end of the battle round, add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of attack actions made by friendly fighters with both the Sylvaneth runemark and the Scout runemark that target that fighter. (Dryads)
* '''[Triple] Walk the Spirit Paths:''' Remove this fighter from the battlefield and set them up anywhere on the battlefield more than 5" from any enemy fighters. (Tree-Revenants)
* '''[Quad] Envoy of the Everqueen:''' Until the end of the battle round, add half the value of ability (rounding up) to the Toughness and Strength characteristics of friendly fighters while they are withing 6" of this fighter. (Leader)

====[[Lizardmen|Seraphon]]====
[[File:WCS.jpg|200px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Serephon|Seraphon]] tactics. The Great Plan is a delicate one, and numerous contingents of Seraphon have been sent to ensure their Plan goes off without a hitch.

* '''[Double] Nimble Retreat:''' A fighter can use this ability only if they are within 1" of an enemy fighter. This fighter makes a bonus disengage action. (Skink)
* '''[Double] Cold-blooded Commander:''' A fighter can use this ability only if an enemy fighter has been taken down by an attack action made by them this activation. This fighter makes a bonus move action or a bonus attack action. (Leader)
* '''[Double] Voracious Appetite:''' Pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter, roll a number of dice equal to the value of this ability. For each +4, allocate 1 damage to that fighter. (Ripperdactyl)
* '''[Triple] Rain Meteoric Barrage:''' Until the end of this fighter's activation, the next time this fighter finishes a move action within 1" of an enemy fighter, pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter. Allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability. (Terradon)
* '''[Triple] Tearing Bite:''' Add the value of this ability to the damage points allocated by each hit or critical hit from the next attack action made by this fighter this activation that has a Range characteristic of 3 or less. (Saurus)
* '''[Quad] Wrath of the Old Ones:''' Until the end of the battle round, add half the value of this ability (rounding up) to the Attacks and Strength characteristics of attack actions made by this fighter that have a Range characteristics of 3 or less. (Universal ability)

====[[Lumineth Realm Lords|Lumineth Realm-Lords]]====
[[Warcry/Tactics/Lumineth Realm-Lords|Lumineth Realm-Lords Tactics]]. Released in the May 2020 White Dwarf (which was delayed to June thanks to COVID-19), the brand new pointy aelves of the Mortal Realms are now playable in Warcry, representing a shining squadrons sent to the Eightpoints to kill key Chaos Lords or retrieve stolen Aelf tech from the Spirefall. Later got an update via PDF on Warhammer Community in April 2021.
* '''[Double] Shining Company''': If there are two or more friendly Warrior fighters within 1" of this fighter, subtract 1 from enemy attacks that target this fighter.
* '''[Double] Mountain Stance''': Subtract 1 to damage dealt from each hit/critical hit that target this fighter.
* '''[Double] Moonfire Flask''': Choose a visible enemy fighter within 6" and roll two dice. On a 4-5, deal 1 damage to that fighter. On a 6, deal damage equal to the value of this ability.
* '''[Double] Sharp-eyed Scryhawk''': Choose a visible enemy fighter within 20". Add 1 to attacks that target this fighter.
* '''[Triple] Lances of the Dawn''': When this fighter ends a move action within 1" of an enemy fighter, that enemy fighter is dealt damage equal to the value of this ability.
* '''[Triple] Emotional Transference''': Choose 1 visible friendly fighter within 12" that has 1 or more damage dealt to it. Then choose a visible enemy fighter that’s also within 12". Deal damage to the enemy fighter equal to the value of this ability.
* '''[Quad] Gravitic Redirection''': Deal D3 damage time all visible enemy fighters within 6" of this fighter, rolling for each enemy. Additionally, halve the enemy move characteristics as well.

====[[Cities of Sigmar]]====
[[Warcry/Tactics/Cities of Sigmar|Cities of Sigmar Tactics]]. Released in 2021 book Sentinels of order, cities send a misfit bunch of humans, aelves and duardins come to the Eightpoints to do some covert actions in the name of Sigmar. They’re either the best of the best...or the most expendable of pawns.

* '''[Double] Form Shieldwall''': Fighters with the Bulwark runemark (AKA Freeguild Guards with sword and shield and Ironbreakers) get +1 Toughness when within 3" from this fighter. (Leader)

* '''[Double] Forgefire''': Pick 1 friendly fighter within 9" of this fighter. Until the end of the battle round, add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of attack actions made by that fighter that have a Range characteristic of 3 or less. (leader)

* '''[Tripple] Variable''': (leader)

* '''[Quad] Variable''': (leader)

* '''[Double] Variable''':

* '''[Double] Pulverising Strike''': for the next attack action this fighter gets half the value of this ability added to the damage points for each hit and critical hit.

* '''[Double] Rapid Redeploy''': If within 1" this fighter can make a bonus Disengage action.

* '''[Tripple] Cavalry Charge''': After finishing the next move within 1" of an enemy fighter allocate damage points to it equal to the value of this ability.

* '''[Triple] Volley of Shots''': Add half of the value (rounded up) of the ability dice to the number of attacks of this fighter's next attack action against an enemy fighter that is more than 3" away.

* '''[Quadruple] Variable.

===[[_Age_of_Sigmar#Death|Death]]===
====[[Warhammer:_Age_of_Sigmar#Legions_of_Nagash|Legions of Nagash]]====
[[File:WCLON.jpg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Legions of Nagash|Legions of Nagash]] tactics. More like Deathrattle & friends but whatever. Using the Necromancer as centre point, the Skeletons and Grave Guard are meant to drown your enemy in bodies... which is the same as in AoS, really.

* '''[Double] Shambling Horde:''' A fighter can use this ability only if they are within 6" of a visible friendly fighter with the Leader runemark. This fighter can make a bonus move action a number of inches equal to half the value of this ability, rounding up. (All)

* '''[Double] Chosen Champion:''' A fighter can use this ability only if they are within 6" of a visible friendly fighter with the Leader runemark. Add 1 to the Attacks and Strength of attack actions made by this fighter this activation. (Seneschal and Skeleton Champion)

* '''[Double] Cursed Weapon:''' Until the end of this fighters activation, add 1 damage to their hits and critical hits for attacks with a range of 3 or less. (Seneschal and Grave Guard)

* '''[Triple] Necrotic Siphon:''' Pick a visible friendly fighter within 6", allocate damage to them equal to the value of this ability. Then remove double that amount from this fighter. (Necromancer)

* '''[Triple] Summon Undead:''' Pick a friendly fighter that has been taken down. Set them up again wholly within 3" of this fighter and remove damage points from them equal to the value of this ability. They no longer count as having been taken down. (Leader)

* '''[Quad] Vanhel's Danse Macabre:''' A number of visible friendly fighters equal to the value of this ability within 6" can each make a bonus move or attack action - they do not all have to take the same action. (Leader)

====[[Nighthaunt]]====
[[File:WCNH.jpeg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Nighthaunt|Nighthaunt]] tactics. The dead souls of Allpoints were mostly a local hazard than a threat, but then Nagash contacted them with a deal... Revolving mostly on the Starter set's stuff (Chainrasps, Stalkers & Reapers) plus Spirit hosts; so if you have the bigger ones, you're set. Attrition is their key, using their great defense, but meager offense.

* '''[Double] Aura of Dread:''' Pick a visible enemy fighter within a number of inches equal to the value of this ability. Until the end of the battle round, subtract 1 from the strength of their attacks. A fighter can only be targeted by this ability once per battle round. (All)

* '''[Double] Soul-Marked Prey:''' Pick a visible enemy fighter within 3", with 1 or more damage allocated to them. Until the end of the battle, round add 1 to the strength of any attacks against them by friendly fighters. A fighter can only be targeted by this ability once per battle round. (Grimghast Reaper)

* '''[Double] Chilling Horde:''' A fighter can use this ability only if there is a visible friendly fighter with the minion runemark within 3" of them. Add 1 to the Attacks and Strength characteristics of attack actions made by this fighter until the end of their activation. (minions - Dreadwarden, Chainrasp)

* '''[Triple] Frightful Touch:''' Until the end of this activation, count any hits done by this fighter as critical hits instead. (Spirit Host)

* '''[Triple] Spectral Summons:''' Pick a friendly fighter that has been taken down. Set them up again wholly within 3" of this fighter and remove damage points from them equal to the value of this ability. They no longer count as having been taken down. (Leader)

* '''[Quad] Reaped Like Corn:''' Allocate damage points equal to the value of this ability to all visible enemy fighters within 3" of this fighter. (Grimghast Reaper)

====[[Flesh-Eater Courts]]====
[[File:WCFEC.jpg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Flesh-Eater Courts|Flesh-Eater Courts]] tactics. Deluded as they are, some ghouls think to go [[Bretonnia|on a quest]] to Eightpoints and bring some of their friends with them. A fast warband, but don't expect much from the ghouls, unlike their Crypt Horrors who are slower but hit like a truck. Or pay more for Crypt Flayers for the best of both worlds!

* '''[Double] Feeding Frenzy:''' A fighter can only use this ability if an enemy fighter has been taken down by one of their attacks this activation. Remove damage from this fighter equal to the value of the ability. (All)

* '''[Double] Skewering Strike:''' Add 1 to the strength of the next attack made by this fighter this activation with a Range of 3 or less. If that attack scores a critical hit, until the end of the battle round the target fighter cannot make move or disengage actions. (Crypt Infernal, Crypt Flayer)

* '''[Double] Chosen of the King:''' A fighter can use this ability only if they are within 6" of a visible friendly fighter with the Leader runemark. Until the end of this fighter's activation add 2 to the Attacks characteristic of attack actions made by this fighter that have a Range of 3 or less. (Crypt Haunter, Crypt Horror)

* '''[Triple] Bringer of Death:''' Add the value of this ability to the Move characteristic of friendly fighters within 6" of this fighter when they use this ability, until the end of the battle round. (Leader)

* '''[Triple] Death Scream:''' Roll 1 dice for each visible enemy fighter within 8". On a 5 allocate 1 damage to them, on a 6 allocate damage to them equal to the value of this ability. (Crypt Infernal, Crypt Flayer)

* '''[Quad] The Royal Hunt:''' This fighter makes a bonus move action, then they can make a bonus attack action. In addition, add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of that attack action if this fighter is within 1" of a visible friendly fighter. (All)

====[[Ossiarch Bonereapers]]====
[[File:WCOB.jpg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Ossiarch Bonereapers|Ossiarch Bonereapers]] tactics. With their Mortarch leading a mass invasion of the Eightpoints, it’s only fitting that smaller squads of Bonereapers would splinter off from the main legions to secure secondary objectives and scout out potential tithing sites.

* '''[Double] Nadrite Weapon''': Add 1 to the damage points for each hit and critical hit from attack actions made by this fighter this activation that have a range characteristic of 3 or less
* '''[Double] Form Shield Wall''': Until the end of the battle round, add 1 to the Toughness characteristic of this fighter. In addition, until the end of the battle round, add 1 tot he Toughness characteristic of friendly fighters with the Bulwark runemark while they are within 3" of this fighter.
* '''[Double] Hunt and Kill''': A fighter can use this ability only if there is a visible enemy fighter within 6" of them. This fighter makes a bonus move action and must finish closer to the closest visible enemy fighter than they were at the start of that move action.
* '''[Triple] Deathrider Charge''': until the end of this fighter's activation, the next time this fighter finishes a move action within 1" of an enemy fighter, pick a visible enemy fighter. Allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability.
* '''[Triple] Unstoppable Advance''': Until the end of the battle round, add half the value of this ability (rounding up) to the move characteristic of friendly fighters that are in the same battle group as this fighter.
* '''[Quad] Blade-strike Aspect''': Add the value of this ability to the Attacks characteristic of attack actions made by this fighter this activation.

===[[_Age_of_Sigmar#Destruction|Destruction]]===
====[[Ironjawz]]====
[[File:WCIJ.jpg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Ironjaws|Ironjaws]] Tactics. Orruks being,... well, [[Orks|orruks]] have decided that being in Archaon's turf is one of the best places to get a good fight, so some bands of them have made this place their home. Centered on the Brutes and 'Ardbois, is a melee powerhouse Warband. Get yourself a box of Brutes and the Warhammer Underworld's Ironskull's Boyz. So you have more than a full Warband with some variety except the shield boy. But honestly, channel your inner Orruk: Do you really need a shield?

* '''[Double] Charge!:''' A fighter can use this ability if there is a visible enemy fighter within 6" of a fighter. This fighter makes a bonus Move action to finish closer to a closest visible enemy fighter than at the start of that Move action. (All)

* '''[Double] Shield Bash:''' After fighter's next Move action, pick visible enemy fighter within 1" and roll a dice. On 4-5 allocate 1 damage point, on a 6 a number equal to ability value. (Ardboy with Shield)

* '''[Double] Duff Up Da Big Thing:''' Until end of fighter's activation add 2 to Attacks and Strength characteristic of fighter's Attack actions with Range characteristic of 3 or less and that action target an enemy fighter with a Wound characteristic of 15 or more. (Brutes)

* '''[Triple] Waaagh!:''' Add the value of this ability to the Move characteristic of friendly fighters within 6" of this fighter, when this fighter uses this ability, until the end of battle round. (Leader)

* '''[Triple] Da Grab an' Bash:''' Pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter an roll a dice. On a 3+, until the end of battle round, that fighter cannot make Move actions or Disengage actions. In addition, on a 6, this fighter can make a bonus Attack action against that enemy fighter. (Brute Boss with Klaw)

* '''[Quad] Rampaging Destroyer:''' Until the end of this fighters activation, add 1 to Attack characteristics of Attack actions made by this fighter. In addition, each time an enemy fighter is taken down by an Attack action made by this fighter this activation, this fighter can make a bonus Move action. (All)

====[[Bonesplitterz]]====
[[File:WCBS.jpg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Bonespitters|Bonespitters]] tactics. These guys are so nuts, or their shamans are, that some of them eventually make their way to the Eightpoints and start smashing heads. That's it, really. One of the cheapest to do, as it revolves only on the Savage Orruks, including the Big Stabbas. More fragile than the Ironjaws, but with more ranged options.

* '''[Double] Charge!:''' A fighter can use this ability only if there is a visible enemy fighter within 6" of them. This fighter makes a bonus move action and must finish closer to the closest visible enemy fighter than they were at the start of the move action.(All)

* '''[Double] Toof Shiv:''' Pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter and roll a dice. On a 3-4, allocate 1 damage point to that fighter. On a 5-6, allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability. (Morkboy)

* '''[Double] Beast Spirit Ju-Ju:''' Until the end of the battle round, add 1 to the Toughness characteristic of friendly fighters while they are within 6" of this fighter. (Bone Totem)

* '''[Triple] Waaagh!:''' Add the value of this ability to the Move characteristic of friendly fighters within 6" of this fighter when this fighter uses this ability, until the end of the battle round. (Leader)

* '''[Triple] Loadsa Arrows:''' Add half the value of this ability (rounding up) to the Attack characteristic of attack actions made by this fighter that target an enemy fighter more than 3" away. (All Arrowboys)

* '''[Quad] Rampaging Destroyer:''' Until the end of this fighter's activation, add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of attack actions made by this fighter. In addition, each time an enemy fighter is taken down by an attack action made by this fighter this activation, this fighter can make a bonus move action. (All)

====[[Gloomspite Gitz]]====
[[File:WCGSG.jpg|400px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Gloomspite Gitz|Gloomspite Gitz]] tactics. The Bad Moon has turned its leering glare to the Eightpoints, and with it comes the Moonclan Grots ready for a good krumpin’. You’ll mostly be pulling from the standard Grots box, as well as Squig Hoppers/Boingrot Bounderz and the Caves Squigs + Herders, and as of the new "Gloomspite Gitz" box you can use Sneaky Snufflers. Like always, you’ll be one of the more numerous warbands in the game if you use mostly Grots. Alternatively, you can mix it up and go elite with Squig Riders and Cave Squigs.

* '''[Double] Backstabbing Mob:''' A fighter can use this ability only if there is a visible friendly fighter within 1". Until the end of this fighter's activation, add 1 to the Attacks and Strength of any attacks they make with a Range of 3 or less. (All)

* '''[Double] Barbed Net:''' Pick a visible enemy fighter within 3" and roll a dice. On a 3+ they cannot make any move or disengage actions until the end of the battle round. (Stabba with Barbed Net)

* '''[Triple] Boing! Boing! Boing!:''' Until the end of this fighter's activation, the next time they finish a move within 1" of an enemy fighter, pick one visible enemy fighter within 1". They take damage equal to the value of this ability. (All Boingrot Bounders and Squig Hoppers)

* '''[Triple] Stab 'Em Good:''' Until the end of the battle round add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of attack actions with a Range of 3 or less made by friendly fighters while they are within 6" of this fighter. (Leader)

* '''[Triple] Go Dat Way!:''' Pick a friendly fighter with the Beast runemark within 4" of this fighter, they make a bonus move action. (Squig Herder)

* '''[Quad] Sneaky Stab:''' This fighter makes a bonus move action, then they can make a bonus attack action. In addition, if this fighter is within 1" of their target add the value of this ability to the damage of all hits and critical hits from that attack. (All)

====[[Ogor Mawtribes]]====
[[File:WCOMT.jpg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Ogor Mawtribes|Ogor Mawtribes]] tactics. Much like the Orruks, Ogors don’t particularly needs a reason to be in the Eightpoints other than they are mad hungry. They are generally a low model count team with each big boy capable of taking and dishing out a lot of damage.

* '''[Double] On the Mawpath:''' Add half of the value of this ability (rounding up) to the Move characteristic of this fighter for their next move action in the current activation.

* '''[Double] Might Makes Right:''' A fighter can use this ability only if an enemy fighter has been taken down by an attack action made by them in this activation. This fighter makes a bonus move or attack action.

* '''[Double] Ironfist:''' Pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter and roll 2 dice. For each 4-5 the enemy fighter takes 1 damage point, for each 6 they take 2.

* '''[Triple] Bullcharge:''' Until the end of this fighter's activation, the next time they finish a move action within 1" of an enemy fighter the enemy fighter takes damage points equal to the value of this ability.

* '''[Triple] Sneaky Traps:''' Until the end of the battle round, each time an enemy fighter finishes a move action within 3" of this fighter, that fighter suffers impact damage.

* '''[Quad] Thunderous Blast of Hot Metal:''' Add half of the value of this ability (rounding up) to the Attack and Strength characteristics of the next attack action made by this fighter this activation that targets an enemy fighter more than 3" away.

===[[_Age_of_Sigmar#Chaos|Chaos]]===
====[[Warhammer:_Age_of_Sigmar#Slaves_To_Darkness|Slaves to Darkness]]====
[[File:WCSTD.jpg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Slaves to Darkness|Slaves to darkness]] tactics. All the generic Warriors of Chaos, The bargain price of this however is fewer bodies and effectively no ranged units. That being said, there are plenty of fast attack options to bog your enemy down, a fair amount of fodder.

* '''[Double] Imbued with Dark Power''' : Until the end of this fighter's activation, add the value of this ability to the Strength characteristic of attack actions made by this fighter that have a Range characteristic of 3 or less.
* '''[Double] Throw Javalin''' : Pick a visible enemy fighter within 6" of this fighter and roll a dice. On a 3-4, allocate 1 damage point to that fighter. On 5-6, allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability.
* '''[Double] Shield Run''': Until the end of this fighter's activation, the next time this fighter finishes a move action within 1"of an enemy fighter, pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter and roll a dic. On a 4-5, allocate 1 damage point to that fighter. On 6, allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability.
* '''[Triple] Trampling Hooves''': Until the end of this fighter's activation, the next time this fighter finishes a move action within 1"of an enemy fighter, pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter. Allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability.
* '''[Triple] Champion of Darkness''': A fighter can use this ability only if an enemy fighter has been taken down by an attack action made by this them this activation. This fighter makes a bonus move action. then they can make a bonus attack action.
* '''[Quad] Lead the Slaughter''': A fighter can use this ability only if an enemy fighter has been taken down by an attack action made by this them this activation. Until the end of the the battle round, add half the value of this ability (rounding up) to the Attack characteristic of attack actions made by visible friendly fighters while they are within 6" of this fighter.

====[[Beastmen|Beasts of Chaos]]====
[[File:WCBOC.jpg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Beasts of Chaos|Beastmen]] tactics. Where the Warriors are Chaos tanks and Daemons are Chaos cheese, the Beastmen are the true Chaos horde.

* '''[Double] Brayherd Ambush:''' All. During the first battle round, This fighter can make a bonus move a distance equal to this ability's value in inches.
* '''[Double] Bloodgorge:''' Bullgor only. when this fighter's attack takes down a fighter, Remove a number of damage points allocated to this fighter equal to this ability's value.
* '''[Double] Rip, Gore, and Tear!:''' Leader only. When this fighter has taken down an enemy fighter with an attack, this fighter makes a bonus move or attack action.
* '''[Triple] Bestial Charge:''' Gor, Bestigor, Bullgor only. the next time this fighter finishes a move action within 1" of an enemy fighter(s), allocate damage equal to this ability's value to one of those fighters.
* '''[Triple] Volley of Arrows:''' Ungor with Bow only. Add half the value of this ability (rounding up) to the Attacks characteristic of the next attack action made by this fighter this activation that targets an enemy fighter more than 3" away.’
* '''[Quad] Bring Down the Storm:''' Dragon Ogors only. Pick 1 visible enemy fighter within 20" of this fighter and roll 1 dice. On a 2+ allocate a number of damage to that fighter equal to the value of this ability.

====[[Skaven]]====
[[File:WCSkaven.jpg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Skaven|Skaven]] tactics. Praise the [[Great Horned Rat | Great Horned]] [[ Games Workshop | Rat]]. Rules writers [[Just as Planned | allowed ]] Skaven to descend upon the Eightpoints with lots of options for cheap chaff ready to die for your under-costed big hitters. Yes yes.

* '''[Double] Scurry Away:''' Agile Units. A fighter can use this ability only if they are within 3" of an enemy fighter. Roll a dice. On a 4+, this fighter makes a bonus disengage action.
* '''[Double] Crack the Whip:''' Pack Master only. Pick a visible friendly fighter with the ''Beast'' runemark within 4" of this fighter. That fighter makes a bonus attack action that has a Range characteristic of 3 or less.
* '''[Double] Hired Bodyguard:''' Stormvermin only. Until the end of the battle round, friendly fighters with the ''Leader'' runemark cannot be targeted while they are within 1" of this fighter.
* '''[Triple] Crushing Charge:''' Rat Ogors and Stormfiends only. Until the end of this fighter's activation, the next time this fighter finishes a move action within 1" of an enemy fighter, pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter. Allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability.
* '''[Triple] Lead from the Back:''' Leader only. Until the end of the battle round, add half the value of this ability (rounding up) to the Attacks characteristic of attack actions that have a Range characteristic of 3 or less made by other friendly fighters while they are within 3" of this fighter.
* '''[Quad] Recite from the Book of Woes:''' Bringer-of-the-Word only. Until the end of the battle round, enemy fighters cannot use abilities while they are within 3" of this fighter.

====[[Tzeench|Disciples of Tzeentch Daemons]]====
[[File:WCTD.jpg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Disciples of Tzeentch Daemons|Disciples of Tzeentch Daemons]] Tactics. Tzeentch's Daemon followers. Lots a shooting and trickery, what you’d come to expect from the Changer of Ways.

* '''[Double] Locus of Sorcery:''' add half the value of this ability (round up) to Strength of the next attack action made this fighter that has a range of 3" or more.
* '''[Double] Split:''' Pink Horror only. when a Pink Horror is allocated 1 or more damage, Place 2 Blue Horrors within 3" then take down the pink. (Don't roll for injury in Campain).
* '''[Double] Split again:''' Blue Horror only. when a blue Horror is allocated 1 or more damage, Place 1 Brimstone Horrors within 3" then take down the Blue. (Don't roll for injury in Campain).
* '''[Triple] Latching bite:''' Screamer Only. Add the value of this ability to the strength of this fighter next attack. In addition the targeted enemy cant' make a move or Disengage action for the rest fo the battle round
* '''[Triple] Master of Destiny:''' Leader only. until the end of the battle round. add the value of this ability to the value of other abilities used by fighter within 6" (Max 6)
* '''[Quad] Capricious Warpflame:''' Flammers only. Allocate a number of damage equal to this ability's value to all enemies within 3" fo this fighter.

====[[Tzeench|Disciples of Tzeentch Arcanites]]====
[[File:WCTM.jpg|200px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Disciples of Tzeentch Arcanites|Disciples of Tzeentch Arcanites]] Tactics. Tzeentch's mortal followers. The various plots of schemes of the Arcanites have brought them into the seat of Archaon’s power. Do they seek to usurp him or bolster him? Who knows.

* '''[Double] Uttered Words of Arcane Power''' : +1 attack and Stranth fo next attack action made by this fighter with range of 3 or less. (all)
* '''[Double] Vulcharc''' : Pick an enemy fighter within 20". Unlitl the end of battle round, that fighter cannot disengage action.(Acolite with Vulcharc)
* '''[Double] Vicious Beak''' : Pick a enemy within 1" and roll dice equal to this ability's value. allocate 1 damage for each 4+ (tzaangor without great weapon)
* '''[Triple] Guided by the past''' : add halfe this ability's value(round up) to damage for each hit or critical hit next attack action made by this fighter with a range of 3" or less, against a fighter that already activated. (tzaangor Enlightened)
* '''[Triple] Master of Destiny''' : until end of battle round, add this ability's value to other abilities (max 6) used by friendly fighters within 6".
* '''[Quad] Guilded by the Future''' : add half this ability's value(round up) to damage for each hit or critical hit next attack action made by this fighter against a fighter that has not yet activated. (Tzaangor Skyfire)

====[[Nurgle|Maggotkin of Nurgle Daemons]]====
[[File:WCND.jpg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Maggotkin of Nurgle Daemons|Maggotkin of Nurgle Daemons]] Tactics. Nurgle’s daemon followers. Slow moving and tanky, which honestly isn’t too good in the fast paced world of Warcry, but some might make it work.

* '''[Double] Disgustingly Resilient''' : Roll a number of dice equal to the value of this ability. For each $+, remove 1 damage point allocated to this fighter.
* '''[Double] Acid Slime Trail''' : Pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter. this fighter makes a bonus disengage action. Tehn allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability.
* '''[Double] Venomous Sting''' : Pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter and roll a dice. On a 2+, until the end of the Battle round that fighter cant make a move action or disengage action.
* '''[Triple] Cloud of Flies''' : Until the end of the battle round, subtract 1 from the Attacks characteristic (to a minimum of 1) of Attack actions that target this fighter.
* '''[Triple] Grandfather's Blessing''' : Until the end of the battle round, add 1 to the strength characteristic of attack actions that have a Range characteristic of 3 or less made by friendly fighters while they are within 6" of this fighter.
* '''[Quad] Endless Swarm''' : Remove a number of damage points allocated to this fighter equal to double the value of this ability.

====[[Nurgle|Maggotkin of Nurgle Rotbringers]]====
[[File:WCNM.jpg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Maggotkin of Nurgle Rotbringers|Maggotkin of Nurgle Rotbringers]] Tactics. Nurgle’s mortal followers. Roughly the same story as the Daemons of Nurgle, though a bit more on the elite side.

* '''[Double] Virulent Discharge''' : Pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter and roll a number of dice equal to the value of this ability. For each 4+, allocate 1 damage point to that fighter.
* '''[Double] Venomous Sting''' : Pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter and roll a dice. on a 2+, until the end of the turn that fighter cant make a move action or disengage action.
* '''[Double] Toll the Sonorous Tocsin''' : Until the end of the battle round, add 1 to the movement characteristic of friendly fighters while they are within 6" of this fighter.
* '''[Triple] Blighted Icon''' : Until the end of the battle round, add 1 to the toughness characteristic of friendly fighters while they are within 6" of this fighter.
* '''[Triple] Grandfather's Blessing''' : Until the end of the battle round add 1 to the strength characteristic of attack actions that have a range characteristic of 3 or less made by friendly fighters while they are within 6" of this fighter.
* '''[Quad] Unnatural Regeneration''' : A Fighter cannot use this ability if they are within 1" of any enemy fighters. Remove a number of damage points allocated to this fighter equal to double the value of this ability.

====[[Khorne|Blades of Khorne Daemons]]====
[[File:WCKD.jpg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Blades of Khorne Daemons|Blades of Khorne Daemons]] Tactics. Khorne's daemon followers. The place is called the BLOODwind Spoils. Of course the daemons of the Blood God would be here to claim skulls for their lord.

* '''[Double] Blood for the Blood God:''' used when fighter slays an enemy with an attack action. can make a bonus move or attack action.
**''Ability Commentary-''
* '''[Double] Decapitating Strike:''' add half (round up) this ability's value to fighters damage when scoring a crit with 3" or less attack. (Bloodletter and Bloodreaper)
**''Ability Commentary-''
* '''[Double] Hungry for Flesh:''' if visibly 6" from an enemy fighter, make a bonus move that ends as close as possible to the nearest enemy fighter. (Flesh Hound and Gore Hound)
**''Ability Commentary-''
* '''[Triple] Locus of Fury:''' use when this fighter kills an enemy with an attack action. until the end of battle round, +1 attack to all 3" or less attacks for friendly visible fighters within 6" of this fighter (Leader)
**''Ability Commentary-''
* '''[Triple] Moderous charge:''' until the end of this fighters activation, the next time he ends a move action within 1" of an enemy(s). Pick one and deal damage equal to Ability's value(Bloodcrusher and Bloodhunter)
**''Ability Commentary-''
* '''[Quad] Buring Roar:''' roll dice against one visible enemy fighter within 8" equal to this ability's value. inflict 2 damage for each 2+. (Gore Hound)
**''Ability Commentary-''

====[[Khorne|Blades of Khorne Bloodbound]]====
[[File:WCKM.jpg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Blades of Khorne Bloodbound|Blades of Khorne Bloodbound]] Tactics. Khorne's mortal followers. Similar story to the daemons but a bit more elite. Woah, deja vu much?

* '''[Double] Blood for the Blood God''' : A fighter can use this ability only if an enemy fighter has been taken down by an attack action made by this them this activation. this fighter makes a bonus move action or a bonus attack action.
* '''[Double] Gorefist''' : Pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter and roll a dice. On a 3-4, allocate 1 damage point to that fighter. On a 5-6, allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to this ability.
* '''[Double] Lashing Bone Tentacles''' : Pick a visible enemy fighter within 6" of this fighter and roll 2 dice. for each 4-5, allocate 1 damage point to that fighter. For each 6, allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to this ability.
* '''[Triple] Lord of Skulls''' : A fighter can use this ability only if an enemy fighter has been taken down by an attack action made by them this activation. Until the end of the battle round, add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of Attack actions that have a Range characteristic of 3 or less made by visible friendly fighters while they are within 6" of this fighter.
* '''[Triple] Daemon-forged Weapon''' : Until the end of this fighter's activation, add half the value of this ability (rounding up) to the damage points allocated by critical hits from attacks made by this fighter that have a Range of 3 or less.
* '''[Quad] Blood-fuelled Assault''' : This fighter makes a bonus move acton. then, they can make a bonus attack action. in addition, until the end of this fighter's activation, add half the value o this ability (rounding up) to the Strength characteristic of attack actions made by this fighter that have a Range of 3 or less.
{{clear}}

====[[Slaanesh|Hedonites of Slaanesh]]====
[[File:WCSMD.jpg|300px|right]]
[[Warcry/Tactics/Hedonites of Slaanesh|Hedonites of Slaanesh]] Tactics. The lack of new mortal followers means the servants of She Who Thirsts are lumped together as opposed to their rival factions. These ladies are fast, killy, and frail, perfect for Warcry.

* '''[Double] Lithe and Swift''' : Add half the value of this ability (rounding up) to the Move characteristic of this fighter for the next move action they make this activation.
* '''[Double] Sadistic Killer''' : Add 1 to the damage points allocate by this fighter this activation that have a Range characteristic of 3 or less.
* '''[Double] Crushing Grip''' : pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter and roll a dice. On a 2+, until the end of this battle round that fighter cannot make a move action or disengage action.
* '''[Triple] Impaling Strike''' : Until the end of this fighters activation the next time this fighter finishes a move action within 1" of and enemy fighter pick a visible enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter. Allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability.
* '''[Triple] Locus of Excruciation''' : Until the end oF the battle round, add 1 to the Strength characteristic of attack actions that have a Range of 3 or less made by friendly fighters while within 6" of this fighter.
* '''[Quad] Deadly Venom''' : Until the end of this fighters activation, add half the value of this ability (rounding up) to the damage points allocated by critical hits from attacks actions made by this fighter. In addition, after each attack action made by this fighter, roll a dice. on a 5+, until the end of this battle round the target fighter cannot make move actions or disengage actions.
{{clear}}

==Monsters, Thralls and Allies==
[[File:WCMaM.jpg|300px|right]]
Monsters and Mercenaries was a book released in the second wave that allows battles agains larger monsters and allows Warbands to get faction related allies. most is invalidated by the new faction books, however it does have campaign and Quest scenarios that are fun to play.

Parts of this book have since been superseded by the Grand Alliance tomes, published in december 2020.

The current Monsters, Thralls and Allies come from a range of White dwarf issues, the faction books and Monsters and Mercenaries book from the second wave.

{{clear}}
===Order Allies / Monsters===

====[[Gotrek_%26_Felix|Gotrek Gurnisson]]====
[[File:WCGotrek.jpg|300px|right]]
Rules for Gotrek are found in the December 2019 issue of [[White Dwarf]]. This includes how to fight with and against him and missions etc...

This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Monsters/Gotrek Gurnisson|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Jakkob Bugmansson XI]]====
Rules for Jakkob are found in the November 2020 issue of White Dwarf.

This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Jakkob Bugmansson|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

===Order Monsters===

====[[Hydra|War Hydra]]====
[[File:War Hydra.jpeg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/War Hydra|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Kharibdyss]]====
[[File:Kharibdyss.jpg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Kharibdyss|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

===Chaos Allies / Monsters===

====[[Mindstealer Sphiranx]]====
[[File:WCMS.png|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Mindsteraler Sphiranx|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Ogroid Myrmidon]]====
[[File:Ogroid Myrmidon.jpg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Ogroid Myrmidon|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Fomoroid Crusher]]====
[[File:Fomoroid-Crusher-Warcry.jpg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Fomoroid Crusher|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

===Chaos Monsters===

====[[Chimera]]====
[[File:Chimera.jpg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Chimera|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Slaughterbrute|Slaughterbrute]]====
[[File:Slaughterbrute.jpg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Slaughterbrute|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Cygor]]====
[[File:Cygor.jpg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Cygor|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Ghorgon|Ghorgon]]====
[[File:Ghorgon.jpeg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Ghorgon|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Chaos Gargant]]====
[[File:Chaos Gargant.jpg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Chaos Gargant|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Mutalith Vortex Beast]]====
[[File:Chimera.jpg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Chimera|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Hell Pit Abomination]]====
[[File:Hell Pit Abomination.jpg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Hell Pit Abomination|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

===Chaos Thralls===

====[[Razorgor]]====
[[File:Razorgor.jpeg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Razorgor|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Chaos Hound|Chaos Warhound]]====
[[File:Chaos_Warhounds.gif|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Chaos Warhound|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Chaos Spawn]]====
[[File:Adrian Smith Chaos Spawn.jpg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Chaos Spawn|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Warcry/Tactics/Monsters/Chaotic Beasts|Chaotic Beasts]]====
[[File:ChaoticBeasts.jpeg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Monsters/Chaotic Beasts|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

===Destruction Monsters===

====[[Arachnarok_Spiders|Arachnarok Spider]]====
[[File:Arachnarok Spider.jpg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Arachnarok Spider|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Aleguzzler Gargant|Aleguzzler Gargant]]====
[[File:Aleguzzler Gargant.jpg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Aleguzzler Gargant|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Dankhold Trogoth|Dankhold Trogoth]]====
[[File:Dankhold Trogoth.jpg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Dankhold Trogoth|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

===Destruction Thralls===

====[[Fellwater Trogoth|Fellwater Trogoth]]====
[[File:Fellwater Trogoth.jpg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Fellwater Trogoth|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Rockgut Troggoths|Rockgut Troggoths]]====
[[File:Rockgut Troggoths.jpg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Rockgut Troggoths|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

===Death Monsters===

====[[Zombie Dragon]]====
[[File:Zombie Dragon.jpeg|300px|right]]
This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Zombie Dragon|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Terrorgheist]]====
[[File:Terrorgheist-with-Flesheaters.jpeg|300px|right]]

This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Terrorgheist|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

===Death Thralls===

====[[Bat Swarm|Bat Swarm]]====
[[File:Bat Swarm.jpeg|300px|right]]

This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Bat Swarm|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Dire Wolf|Dire Wolf]]====
[[File:Dire Wolf.jpeg|300px|right]]

This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Dire Wolf|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

====[[Fell Bat|Fell Bat]]====
[[File:Fell Bat.jpeg|300px|right]]

This model, rules and tactics can be found here: [[Warcry/Tactics/Fell Bat|Tactics]]
{{clear}}

*'''Name''' : rule
'''Stats'''

*'''Stats''': Movement 0"; Toughness 0; Wounds 00; 000Pts.
**'''Rule:'''
**'''Weapons:'''
***Name - Range 0"; Attacks 0; Strength 0; Damage 0/0
**''Fighter Commentary''
{{clear}}

{{Warcry Tactics}}
[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category:Warcry/Tactics]]

Be'lakor

2022-09-05T15:43:18Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:6D3E:5735:CBBE:C0F8: /* Age of Sigmar */

[[File:Be'larkor First Greater Daemon.png|350px|thumb|right|Between this guy and [[Abaddon]] the Chaos gods sure have a sick sense of humour when choosing their champions.]]

'''Be'lakor the Dark Master''' is the first (and depending on the setting, debatably only) [[Daemon Prince|Daemon Prince]] of [[Chaos Undivided]] at the time. Of course in 40k, this claim of "Only" is suspect with the unclear status of [[Lorgar]] and [[Perturabo]]'s alignments, as well as whether [[Nemeroth]]'s still alive. In Fantasy and AoS he is so far the only undivided Daemon Prince (except for non-canon material). His name likely derives from the name "Bellator", which means warrior in <s>Latin</s> High Gothic.

Due to his nature as a daemon prince of chaos, he's been sighted in both [[Warhammer Fantasy Battles]] as well as [[Warhammer 40,000]]. In both, he began as an ancient warlord from ages past who fought in the name of the [[Chaos Gods]] before they decided to elevate him as a Daemon Prince. Then he got cocky, thought himself better than his four owners, and then got royally bitchslapped back into line.

==Warhammer Fantasy==
Be'lakor was one of the earliest Chaos warlords, leading vast hordes of Daemons to ravage the world long before the Elves rose up against them. He impressed the Chaos Gods so much they turned him into a [[Daemon Prince]], the first time they ever did that to a mortal follower of Chaos Gods. However, his four parents began bickering for ownership, each offering some presents in exchange for his loyalty. He decided to then take all their presents and fled to the mortal realms without doing any of their favors. He came during the First Great War Against Chaos, bending many to his will and carving a warpath - unwittingly carrying out the tasks the four set before him. As time carried on, more Daemon Princes were raised, siphoning the power and attention that was once exclusively his and eventually sparking a great war as these new princes sought to carve out territory. This distracted team Chaos from stopping the elves in [[Ulthuan]] from creating the Great Vortex, thus stemming the tide of badstuffs spilling into the world.

As punishment, the big four made him become the one to crown Everchosens of Chaos while never getting to become the Everchosen himself, which pissed him off to no end. This is a retcon though, as originally Be'lakor got arrogant and thought he was better than the Chaos Gods, so Tzeentch served him a big piece of humble pie by denying him a physical body and forcing him to crown each Everchosen. At one point Be'lakor co-opted this by possessing one of the Everchosen candidates (who became known as the Shadowlord), but Be'lakor's power destroyed the host body and he was stuck back in the role. In the expansion Shadows of Albion, Be'lakor was the main bad guy there, manipulating people to take the power and artifacts of Albion for himself, before failing and abandoning that plan.

With the latest Everchosen, [[Archaon]], Be'lakor was once again forced to crown the Everchosen of Chaos with the final artifact. Be'lakor played a big part in the [[Storm of Chaos]] campaign, but that has since been retconned. Although he still shows up from time to time, he no longer appears to be quite as powerful as he once was, although he is still a Daemon Prince of [[Chaos Undivided]], which is a massive accomplishment in and of itself. In newer lore, he also took the form of a Norse warlord who conducted a raid on a Nordlander town where he raped a woman and fathered a child who would go on to become [[Archaon]].

During [[The End Times]], Be'lakor was all set to return to his former glory and then some, plotting to become the fifth Chaos God by breaking into ''Kazad Drengazi'', the Fortress of the First Slayer ([[Grimnir]], natch), a temple containing the Chaos Gate that Grimnir used to get to the Realm of Chaos in the first place. Be'lakor used the power of the Chaos Gate to break Tzeentch's curse, regain his physical form, and summon four greater daemons, one of each of the Chaos Gods; two of them had had their shit ruined by [[Gotrek_%26_Felix|Gotrek and Felix]] once before. Be'lakor and his posse planned to backstab Grimnir from behind, at which point Be'lakor would take all of Grimnir's power and ascend to become the fifth Chaos God, but Gotrek and Felix showed up and wrecked Be'lakor and the Bloodthirster, while Grimnir kicked the asses of the Keeper of Secrets, Lord of Change, and Great Unclean One. It looked like Be'lakor and Gotrek's duel could go either way at first, then Gotrek ''hit Be'lakor with the Bloodthirster'' and kicked all their asses back to the Realm of Chaos, ruining Be'lakor's plans.

He later caused mischief in Athel Loren by manipulating the Khainites and the more xenophobic forest spirits to attack the elves, but got driven away by the elves armies and the new Incarnate of Light - Tyrion. Though he did play a major role in dooming the world by freeing Mannfred von Carstein from his imprisonment and ensuring the Chaos Gods learnt of Lileath's haven. During his attempt to slay Lileath and consume her divine power, he was stalled by '''Jerrod of Asareux''', one of the last Bretonnian dukes. Jerrod put up a pretty good fight, but was defeated, with Be'lakor breaking several of his bones. Jerrod did buy enough time for the arrival of both Malekith and Tyrion, who use their magic to capture the daemon (first Malekith's shadow magic prevented Be'lakor using his shadow trick to escape, then Tyrion used a magical net of light to restrain him). He was interrogated by the Incarnates, including Alarielle (whose kindness doesn't extend to daemons). While he still tried to troll them, he told them what they wanted to know because he knew Malekith and Nagash - especially Nagash - could find ways to torture even him. After they were done, Be'lakor was then trapped in a magic ruby by [[Alarielle]] for the rest of eternity. One true Everchosen my ass!

When he's not busy being eternally subjected to humiliation play and edging by the Chaos Gods, [https://www.vermintide.com/news/franz-lohners-chronicle-territorial-squabbles he may be] whispering insidiously to the [[Vermintide|Ubersreik Five]] after they went to Castle [[Drachenfels]] a second time, or cursing them with dark purple skulls that burns and snare them in the [[Chaos Wastes]]. Eventually, the aforementioned 5 heroes had enough of his shits that they went to wreck his shrine and kills his followers in [[Chaos Wastes]], which is worth doing since it gives them free awesome boon.

==Age of Sigmar==
[[Meme|Somehow, he's returned]], escaping the gem and into [[Age of Sigmar|the new world]]. While there are hints that he ruled Ulgu before the god formerly known as [[Malekith]] rose to power, Be'lakor's first appearance had him get his ass royally handed to him by the [[Lizardmen]] dive bombing him with Pterodactyl riders. Embarrassed by this poor showing (which could actually be a reference to a battle in a white dwarf, at the time of lizardmen 7th edition, in that battle report Be'lakor was killed during by being stoned to death by pterodactyl riders), he took to hiding from the spotlight once more. That said, [[Archaon]] seems to be following his footsteps, as Archie's been elevated to the "High Marshal of Chaos", which gives him almost free reign to control or kill the champions of Chaos while still claiming no exclusive loyalty to any of the four (now five with the [[Horned Rat]]'s ascension) - the only difference being that he's still arguably human. As of Wrath of the Everchosen, he's the Starscream to Archaon's Megatron, forming his own faction of Chaos followers with the (kinda-secret) goal of (eventually) overthrowing Archaon. Despite that, Be'lakor worked with Archaon to defend the Eightpoints against the armies of Nagash, managing to personally slay the Mortarch Lady Olynder (As much as one can slay a Mortarch), sending her soul back to Shyish.

After this Be'lakor set some big plans he had brewing into motion. Either he or a servant freed one of the Stormcast Morathi captured after her ascension to godhood so the soldier could warn Sigmar of Morathi's treachery, hoping to distract the two gods from Chaos' plans. While this was happening, Be'lakor destroyed some of the Seraphon's future scrying devices to blind them and then tricked them into killing one of Archaon's Gaunt Summoners by having them crash the Summoner's Silver tower into Chamon and then nuking the thing, thus setting back his rival's plans to use Varanite to breach the Realm gate into Azyr. As an unexpected bonus, the explosion set off a chain reaction that destroyed several Realmgates connected to the Tower and also ends up weakening the fabric of the realms allowing Chaos stuff to seep into reality. This inspired Be'lakor with a new plan to set about nuking other realmgates both in order to cut off the realms from each other and also to allow daemonic forces to pour into reality and overwhelm the forces of order, something which Archaon had never thought to try as he and most of his forces were still technically humans and thus needed the Realmgates to move about on their campaigns. But before Be'lakor could do this, there was an issue he had to deal with first. When he killed Olynder, she put a potent curse on Be'lakor that would kill him when the sands in her hourglass ran out; a curse only Olynder could undo.

To deal with this mess Be'lakor took an army to Shyish and used it to track down Olynder (who was coping quite well with Nagash's defeat by Teclis). Having figured out how to destroy Olynder - by destroying her body in its tomb in Dolorum - he held his blade over her corpse and the two struck a bargain; he would give Olynder the souls of an entire Stormhost and she would free him from the curse. She agreed, and the two attacked a realmgate known as the Golden Gate that linked a city called Vindicarum in Chamon with several other towns then attacked the city itself. The resulting battles end up collapsing the realmgate and causing a Chaos storm that stopped the souls of the Stormcast slain at the Battle of Vindicarum (including that of Lorrus Grymn, who Be'lakor personally killed) from travelling back to Azyr. The Chaos storm doomed most of the Hallowed Knights and Celestial Vindicators to be cut off from Azyr, while the Sigmarite Brotherhood was completely wiped out, a feat not even Archaon had managed. When Kharadron forces later arrived to use their fleet to evacuate the surviving civilians, Be'lakor himself went to personally wipe out the fleet's leaders, but stopped at the sight of a duardin steeped in godly power made him decide to retreat (the Dwarf being Grungni himself). Having accomplished his goal and knowing he was outmatched, Be'lakor retreated and gave the Stormcast souls captured by the Chaos storm to Olynder, who removed her curse and left him to his machinations.

Be'lakor made one final appearance in the Broken Realms saga in the epilogue of Broken Realms: Kragnos where he throws shade at the Newborn twins for their failed attempt at conquering the city of Excelsis and their lackluster first attempt to make waves in the mortal realms. They retort by pointing out they got closer than Tzeentch's followers did and mock him for fleeing Vindicarum due to one mortal. He responded by pointing out that so-called mortal he encountered at Vindicarum was actually a powerful god, and mentioned his other plans before leaving.

Despite his failure to finish off Vindicarum and Grungni introducing Thunderstrike Armour to counter his cursed skies, Be'lakor has managed to regain a lot of favor with the Chaos Gods and now stands as the first serious threat to Archaon's status as leader of Chaos. While no outright declaration of war has been made, both have sent their forces to raid the other. Indeed, the damage and mayhem he had wrought had proven to be extremely disruptive not only to the forces of Order, who are now scrambling to recover lost ground and rescue their forces trapped in Chamon while Be'lakor's storm persists all the while; but with Archaon once again being disrupted and stalled in his own schemes to break into Azyr, Be'lakor has proven that he is a force to be reckoned with in the Mortal Realms. Well, at least that's what he would like to think, being jealous of his son by rape and all.

Apparently the 3E Slaves to Darkness Battletome would expand his assets there as well with the reveal of Eternus, Blade of the First Prince. With his (metaphorical and likely literal) son Archaon growing far too powerful to be manipulated in any capacity, he's likely had to make do and elevate another champion to be his personal herald and puppet. Also if some clues from 40k is any indication he may also be the answer to how Unaligned Demon Princes are becoming a thing again as he elevates them himself. What's more, this Eternus was once one of Archaon's servants, who betrayed Archaon to serve Be'lakor, being tossed into the Cursed Skies and singed by the trapped souls of Stormcast Eternals before Be'lakor healed him and infused those souls and their power into Eternus, basically turning him into a Chaos Stormcast Eternal.

The new warcry box set ”Heart of Ghur” has some of his troops fighting it out with troops belonging to Archaon, Nurgle, and [[Hashut]] of all things over a place called the Gnarlwood located on the continent of Thondia in Ghur. In addition to being filled with all kinds of nasty carnivorous plants that could be used to ruin someone’s day, the forest is also loaded with powerful Seraphon artifacts that were left there after a bunch of Seraphon ships crashed in the area. Seeing an opportunity to score a victory by gaining the artifacts and thus further convince people he deserves to be the true Everchosen, Be'lakor has sent his troops out to conquer the Gnarlwood.

==Warhammer 40,000==
[[image:Old_Be%27lakor.png|thumb|right|300px|Be'lakor Classic. A fan favourite (his model not the character)]]
In [[Warhammer 40,000]], Be'lakor was the first Daemon Prince, as well as the first (and allegedly "last", but there have been plenty more since) Daemon Prince created through the action of all four Chaos Gods ([[Derp|apparently]] [[Lorgar]] and [[Perturabo]] were special exceptions or something (though knowing Pert, I wouldn't be surprised if he was 75% Khornate or something and 0% Slaanesh considering what the [[Emperor's Children|Emperor's Cunts]] wanted to do with Pert)), and quickly proved to be difficult to control even at the best of times. Apparently his creation gave him the Daemonic equivalent of daddy issues and now he spends most of his time trying to kill all other Champions of Chaos, including other Daemon Princes. The Chaos Gods tolerate him mostly because his wild-card status makes him an excellent pawn in their power struggles, something Be'lakor himself is completely unaware of (as he thinks he still has free will and just wants to cement his position as Chaos' sole champion).

Recently, he's shown up to "help" with [[Abaddon]]'s [[Black Crusade]]s by giving him [[Troll|seemingly helpful advice that often leads to unexpectedly heavy losses]], all in an attempt to undermine his credibility (well, more so than he does on his own). In a stunning display of insight, Abaddon saw through his ruse, but allowed him to remain within the Black Legion in order to keep tabs on him and better prepare for his sudden but inevitable betrayal. The Imperium is only dimly aware that he exists, as Be'lakor has been very careful about concealing his presence from history (with the unwitting help of a Magos who learned just enough about him to know that he ruled and ruined countless empires throughout history, but not enough to realize that he's a Daemon Prince).

He's also been shown to be in contact with [[Ahzek Ahriman|Ahriman]]. No word on whether Ahriman has accepted his offer of being made his greatest champion in exchange for his service, however, but seeing as Ahzek rejects even Tzeentch's own offerings to be HIS chosen champion, still thinks he's independent of any god (despite having Tzeentch's mark on the tabletop), and actively tries to become the fifth Chaos god himself, it's a good bet he told Be'lakor to go fuck himself with someone else's force sword.

During Gathering Storm Be'lakor helped the [[Iron Warriors]] invade the [[Imperial Fists]] star fortress the Phalanx, attempting to upstage Abaddon by using it to attack Terra directly. The Imperial Fists turned the Phalanx's own weapons on the chaos-tainted regions, destroying them and killing most of the Iron Warriors, then the [[Legion of the Damned]] arrived. Be'lakor himself got his ass kicked by [[Tor Garadon]] (before he was even given a model!). This abject failure was unfortunately the only time Be'lakor was ever really relevant to Warhammer 40k's plot. In general Be'lakor never really is shown doing much and seems to only exist in 40k because daemons in both settings have to cross-over.

During Warzone Charadon: The Book of Fire, Be'lakor arrived having been summoned and supported by [[What|the Alpha Legion and Word Bearers working together as best bros]]. This force invaded the House Raven Imperial Knight Homeworld of Kolossi. The Daemonic and Heretic forces devastated the Imperial forces and successfully captured the world of Kolossi before [[Troll|whisking it away from House Raven and turning into a Daemon World, dishonoring them and leaving them homeless.]] His forces ended also fucking over Typhus and the Metalica invasion forces. In the end he got shit done, which is impressive in comparison to Abaddon.
As of Codex: Chaos Knights the surviving members of House Raven stranded on Kolossi pledged their loyalty to Be'lakor and renamed themselves House Korvax (very creative, we know), expanding his repertoire of assets.

==Table Top==
===Warhammer Fantasy===
A 500pt Monster (literally), Be'lakor is a very expensive but very solid choice for either a Warriors of Chaos or Daemons of Chaos army. He's an upgraded winged Daemon prince with Lore Master in the Lore of Shadow and a 4+ Ward save and any thing shooting at him suffers -2 to hit him to keep him out of the way of any cannons aimed at him. He is very good at making units run for the hills as he has Terror and Unbreakable like a regular Daemon prince but he also reduces the leadership of all enemy units with 12" of him by -1 and if they fail a panic or break test Be'lakor gets an extra D3 power dice for his next magic phase. Finally his sword, '''The Blade of Shadows''' is the standard but extremely nasty no armour saves allowed against wounds dealt by it. Over all if you use Be'lakor he'll take up your entire lord slot (unless you play using the last 8th edition FAQ and/or End Times in which case he uses half of it) but he can effectively scare off hordes of enemies and pile drive your opponents lords while also being quite hard to pick off from usual monster killing methods, like artillery.

===Age of Sigmar===
[[image:RYM7hNcBNGhu01we.jpg|thumb|right|300px|New Be'lakor, now with 70% more base and 40% more wings]]
Be'lakor's combat capabilities aren't really anything special. Sure, his melee capabilities are slightly better than your standard Daemon Prince, and ignoring rend is a neat gimmick (even if its offset by him having a lower save than the standard Daemon Prince. meaning its only really an advantage against Rend -2 weapons). He also heals himself when enemy models flee, but with battleshock being so easy to ignore its not much to speak about. His magic capabilities are better, having a good warscroll spell and being one of the few wizards that can cast twice in Slaves to Darkness. The real thing that makes Be'lakor a good pick, however, is his special rule "The Dark Master".

Be'lakor can secretly pick one unit at the start of the game, [[Just As Planned|which he has secretly been manipulating the entire time]]. At any time he can reveal his manipulations, causing the selected unit to be unable to cast spells, move, charge, or attack unless they roll a 5+ for the rest of the turn. And of course, you're going to use this ability on the enemy's strongest unit. Need that Frostlord on Stonehorn to kill that one unit on the objective? Need Nagash to cast that combo of spells you need? Too bad.

Be'lakor also has his own subfaction for the Legion of Chaos Ascendant army list called The Legion of the First Prince. It allows lesser daemons to act as meat shields for him and also allows him to reroll hits and wounds if he's surrounded by at least one lesser daemon of each god, but you mainly take it for the command ability which allows him to restore dead models to every Plaguebearer, Bloodletter, Daemonette and Horror unit on the battlefield. Which, due to the way keywords work, include big multi-wound cavalry units like [[Bloodcrushers]] and [[Plague Drones]].

===Warhammer 40k===
His 40k rules are a reworked version of his Fantasy rules which were then super charged. A winged Daemon Prince he has a 4++ invuln save and is Shrouded, and he also has fucking [[Awesome|Eternal Warrior]] so he's pretty hard to kill. The Blade of Shadows is in it's best incarnation as it's a monstrous S+1, AP2, Fleshbane, Armourbane, Master crafted murder stick, he is also a level 3 Psyker with powers from the Telepathy Discipline and he gains a bonus D3 warp charge points when enemy units fail moral tests. For 350 points he's expensive but he's a god damn steal with how killy he can be.

===8th/9th edition===
Be'lakor is pretty good in 8th edition. He's very speedy with a 14" movement and gives buffs to all Daemons so works round the restrictions of a regular Daemon prince. He has a -1 leadership debuff and he has 6 attacks. Stack that with his S+1 ap-5 D3 kill sword, he can carve his way through pretty much anything. He also has access to the Dark Heretics discipline which he knows 2 powers from (you will take Death Hex and you will like it) so he is a pretty good all rounder. The only problem is that he needs to be put in his own detachment as he doesn't have any marks of chaos (for some reason) so he can't join a god specific detachment without gimping the rest of the detachment.

This was changed with 9E. Not only does he get all marks as he's supposed to, but also gets a special detachment that allows daemons to work side by side with heretics, though none of them are going to be able to enjoy their full powers and there are certain forces (Daemon princes, greater daemons, specialist marked marines) that are barred from use. Still, making a Chaos army with Deamons and Chaos Terminators is fucking insane. You can also combo with Havocs, Greater Possesed, Vehicles, and even Obliterators. Even Chaos Knights can now be included, so long as they're from House Korvax.

Scratch that, Be'lakor is very powerful in 9E. Like, [[Aza'Gorod|Nightbringer]] [[Cheese|levels of powerful]]. And Nightbringer-levels of expensive- dude's 10 points cheaper. Here's what he's got going for him. First, he's got a permanent -1 to wound, a -1 to hit, and he stops his opponent from rerolling failed hit rolls. Next, he fucks with your units' Ld (-1 to Ld, -1 to Combat Attrition tests) and buffs his own units' shooting and melee. Any non-vehicle unit within 6" of him, with the {{W40kKeyword|DISCIPLES OF BE'LAKOR}} keyword gets to reroll 1s to hit, and he can choose a unit with those keywords within 9" of him to reroll ''all'' failed hit rolls assuming Be'lakor is your warlord. Finally, he rerolls all failed hit and wound rolls against other Daemon Princes.
His weapon's a giant sword, that can make two profiles. Sweeping Strike is 12 attacks at S8 AP-3 D1, and Piercing Strike is 6 attacks at S12 AP-4 Dd3+3, which ignores invulns. Yes, it ignores invulns. The good thing, is that he brackets. His movement, strength, and attacks all get worse as he loses any of his 16 wounds.

==Total Warhammer 3==
It WAS implied that Be'lakor was going 9th legendary lord of Game 3 representing the Daemons of Chaos Undivided, however that role has gone to a completely new (and customisable) original Daemon Prince. Be'lakor has been reduced to this new Daemon Prince's cackling [[BBEG]], who kidnapped [[Ursun]] 7 years prior and then tricked the Kislevite noble who became the new Daemon prince into shooting the god (see the prince had been sent on a suicide mission by his former lover the Tzarina to rescue the missing Ursun, but Be'lakor impersonated Ursun, and corrupted him to the point he strayed to close to Chaos, forsook his faith in Ursun and shot him) the god’s blood freed Be'lakor from being an incorporeal shadow. The noble learnt that Be'lakor had tricked him, and after begging for help from the Chaos Gods became a daemon after nearly dying. Ursun’s death-cry caused the barrier between the Realm of Chaos and the Warhammer world to be weakened, and this combined with Be'lakor taking the dying Ursun to the forge of souls gives [[Kislev]] a reason to [[Wat|counter invade the Realm of Chaos]] as Be'lakor tried to use Ursun's power to become a true Chaos God and challenge the big four.

Be'lakor can be unlocked for recruitment by any faction in the game after they complete the main quest in the Ursun campaign (that's right, even the anti-chaos Cathay and the people whose god he'd been trying to kill Kislev will [[What|get him as a general]]. At least the first patch added the option to tell him to fuck-off forever for some permanent global bonuses). He is a Unique (not Legendary) Lord who has no army- and faction-wide skills in his skill tree. That red line that lets any generic lord improve units? Be'lakor doesn't get that. He has a generic Lore of Shadows skill tree instead, but without any of the magic-casting bonuses you usually get with caster lords. Instead, Be'lakor excels as a one-man army, with his few unique skills buffing him in combat. Fortunately for the players, he spawns at rank 20 and doesn't need to grind levels to be useful.

In Immortal Empires however he is one of the playable characters for the Warriors of Chaos with his own subfaction. Of the WoC characters he has the easiest access to Daemon units to the point of being able to make a full army of them if he wants. He can also transform enemy lords into Daemon Princes by defeating them in battle or performing hero actions. His skill line has also been revamped with his own red tree and better casting abilities while still being one of the best one man armies in the entire game. Notably, his faction has the ability to open a warp rift and teleport armies from his fortress in Albion to any location where he has visibility. Very handy if you're going for the long campaign victory and need to go all the way to Cathay to kick Miao Ying's ass.

He is voiced by Richard Armitage of The Hobbit and Castlevania fame.

==Trivia==
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOiQOOrj-fY He has a kickass band]
*Half of his inner soliloquies is wondering why the Chaos Gods won't notice him.

==Gallery==

<gallery>
image:UoSvSRO7D7TAZNNF.jpg|His new model...BUT IN SPESS!
File:DINOSAURS_ROCK_CHAOS.png|Supposedly this happened to a different Daemon Prince who used Be'lakor's model, but that hasn't stopped people from dunking on him all the same.
File:Confirmed Stoned to Death.png|Well never mind! According to Cruddance himself it was indeed Be'lakor that died by falling rocks.
File:Run Belakor Run.png|Ascended by all 4 gods. Brought low by a piece of granite.
</gallery>

{{Daemons-Characters}}

Spelljammer Helm

2022-09-05T00:26:40Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:6D3E:5735:CBBE:C0F8: /* Orbus */

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The existence of the [[Dungeons & Dragons]] setting of [[Spelljammer]] naturally raises two questions. Firstly, what kind of "space ships" are there in this "D&D IN SPACE!" setting? Secondly, how do they actually fly around in space? Well, the first question is answered over on the [[Spelljammer Vessels]] page. As for the second question... let's talk about '''Spelljammer Helms''', shall we?

Also known as ''Spelljamming Helms'' and simply ''Helms'', this term collectively covers all of the various means of traveling through space without the use of natural anti-gravity abilities. Specifics vary, but most kinds of helms convert energy (usually magical) into propulsive force; the more magic available, the faster the helm can propel a ship. Of course, this leads to limits on just how much mass a given type of helm can actually move at once, which in term limits the available size-range for [[Spelljammer Vessels]]; sure, you can turn a moon into a battle-station, but sailing it away? You can just about forget about it!

There are also canoncially non-magical engines in Spelljammer, but they tend to be inferior to the powers of magic.

=Helm Operation=
{{NotFunny}}

A spelljammer helm typically takes the form of a great chair with supports or recesses for the head, arms and feet of the person using it. The styles of helms range from simplistic and functional, to ornate and gothic. Whatever the form, the helm is designed to pull magical energy from the user and convert it into fully fledged spelljamming power to propel and maneuver a spaceborne vessel.

A helm can be operated by any person or creature capable of casting spells. Helmsmen are typically wizards or priests, but may include high level rangers and paladins, or creatures with a natural spell-casting ability. A spellcaster needs to be well rested to function at their best; if they have cast any spells before activating a spelljamming helm, the ship's rating will be negatively affected. Operating a helm even for a short period negates the operators ability to cast spells until they have rested long enough to recover their spells.

The helmsman operating a spelljamming helm finds their consciousness greatly expanded, and finds themselves operating at two levels of perception at once. First, the helmsman remains conscious of the normal sensations of their physical body, and is fully aware of what is occuring around them. Although they cannot move or cast spells without breaking contact with the helm, they are able to converse freely with those around them.

On the second level, the helmsman feels the ship as an extension of their own body. The ship, to the limits of its gravity plane, as well as the surrounding air envelope, all feel like a bubble under the helmsman's direct control. Many helmsmen have described the sensation of being merged with a ship, like that of personally flying among the stars.

Moving through wildspace or the phlogiston entails nothing more than mentally visualising the distance and direction the ship needs to move (usually determined by the navigator, based on their star charts) and willing the ship to move as needed. The feeling of movement has been compared to moving a limb that has fallen asleep - a pins-and-needles sensation, though much less painful than the term usually suggests. The expanded consciousness of the helmsman makes them aware of the actions of the crew as though they were standing on the aft deck (or the equivalent of the specific ship), but their actions do not register directly unless the helmsman is paying special attention to them.

The helmsman can maneuver the ship sluggishly, but any real maneuver - like a turn - decreases the ship speed to tactical speed. In combat, the helmsman is limited by the feel of the hull and its capabilities, and cannot maneuver the ship beyond this capacity without additional magical aid.. On most ships, true maneuverability requires the attentions of a full crew. During combat, the helmsman is aware of damage to the hull as bright flashes of pain, but these are usually not severe enough to cause the helmsman to lose control, except for those critical attacks that cause spelljammer shock and can incapacitate the helmsman.

=Minor & Major Helms=
As their lack of a precursor title suggests, Minor Helms and Major Helms are the standard model helms upon which all spelljamming is based. Both work the same way; converting arcane magic or divine magic into forward propulsion, with the crew using physical ship structures like sails or oars to maneuver through the space.

The difference in model is basically a notice of how effectively they can draw out and channel magic from the helmsman. A Minor Helm will cost 100,000 GP on average, gives you 1 Ship Rating per 3 levels in [[wizard]] or [[cleric]], and can move up to 50 tons. In contrast, the Major Helm will set you back a cool 250,000 GP, gives 1 SR per 2 levels, and can move up to 100 tons. Both require a minimum tonnage of 1 ton to work.

Major and Minor Helms can be had from any spacefaring nation that's sufficiently advanced, but the premier source is, of course, the [[Mercane]].

=Beacon Helm=
Beacon Helms are an updated version of Major Helms created by the [[Arcane]] to provide helmsmen with greater security. Each helm is paired with one or more rings fashioned from adamantite and fitted with a single large blue carbuncle; known as ''alarm beacons'' or ''beacon rings'', they allow the bearer to known the distance and rough direction of the paired major helm when it's in use. Additionally, if the helmsman wears a beacon ring whilst operating a beacon helm, they are capable of drinking potions, reading spells from scrolls and activating magic items whilst still simultaneously piloting the ship.

A person can carry up to three beacon rings at a time and remain linked to all of the beacon helms attuned to those rings, but adding a fourth will cause all beacon rings to shut down until only three are being carried again.

A beacon helm costs an extra 50,000 GP for the first beacon ring added to the Major Helm, so that's 300,000 GP all-up. Buying extra beacon rings costs 60,000 GP per extra beacon ring.

=Cloaking Helm=
Another variant of the Major Helm invented by the [[Arcane]]. Cloaking Helms allow the helmsman to create an invisibility field around their ship, protecting it for up to 30 minutes per day. It was first commissioned by a group known as the Seekers, but it has proliferated ever since.

This variant of the helm was introduced in the [[Bazaar of the Bizarre]] artricle in [[Dragon Magazine]] #159.

=Series Helm=
The Series Helm is a variation of the standard helm invented by the [[Illithid]] to draw upon deeper wells of magical energy. In effect, to feed on the magic that grants creatures spell-like abilities rather than relying on the helmsman's ability to channel raw arcane or divine magic. Whilst the end result was kind of weak compared to a standard helm, it did have one unusual property: they could be linked together to create arcane circuits, allowing multiple creatures to pool power and achieve greater output.

As a result, Series Helms have become popular amongst races with spell-like abilities. Costing 75,000 GP per individual helm, a Series Helm can move from 5 tons up to 50 tons, with a Ship Rating of 1 per manned helm in the circuit - usually a ship relying on these helms wiill have 3-5 of them installed.

=Pool Helm=
Pool Helms are another [[illithid]] invention, and unlike the Series Helm, they ''don't'' share this one with other races! The Pool Helm draws upon "the natural life-pool of the mindflayers" to power their ship... what the fuck does that actually mean? Don't ask, we just report what the books say! It could be their collective [[psionics|telepathic energy]], the nascent energy of a spawning pool, or something else entirely.

A Pool Helm grants a Ship Rating of 5, but its maximum tonnage is unknown - reputedly, up to 200 tons.

=Orbus=
An Orbus is a [[beholder]] mutant specially bred to act as a living helm. We know very little about their looks, beyond them having the appearance of a "stunted, albino" beholder. Like the Series Helms, orbii (as they are called in a collective) can pool their magical abilities to generate thrust, though for some reason the circuit can only handle 5 orbii at a time.

An Orbii pool grants 1 Ship Rating per orbus, and can move up to 60 tons (20 per orbus, capping at 60). It's unknown if orbii could work for other races, because the beholders would rather kill them than let them be used by other races.

You could way they are the Beholder equivalent of Navigators from Warhammer 40,000.

=Dwarven Forge=
Dwarven Forges are a unique spelljamming engine created and used exclusively by, well, [[dwarves]]. Since dwarves in [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] were largely a nonmagical race (some settings aside), they created the Forges to channel the natural creativity and emotional energy of dwarves at work. Whilst there have been experiments in other races attempting to use Dwarven Forges themselves, since the dwarves aren't particularly jealous about spelljamming, they have all failed miserably.

Dwarven Forges resemble large foundries, where dwarves work around the clock in acts of crafting and forging. Through unspecified means, the Forge captures the emotional energy that its workers gives off and turns it into motive thrust. Granting Ship Rating 1 per 100 workers, a Dwarven Forge thereby can only be fitted in large ships; minimum of 100 tons to a maximum of 700 tons.

Ironically, this means dwarven spelljammers are always a case of planned obsolence; starting with an asteroid foundation, eventually, the dwarves will literally strip-mine their own ship to the point there is nothing left to build from; they can't mine any further without cannibalizing everything that's been built up. So the Forge stops working. And as the ship is too big for conventional helms, the dwarves have to pack up and leave, abandoning the site of generations for fertile new ground.

=Gnomish Helm=
Gnomish helms are the subject of scorn and mockery amongst every race that aren't [[Tinker Gnome]]s or [[Dohwar]]. Bizarre, Rubenesque contraptions overloaded with bells, whistles and moving parts, most gnome helms are really just regular minor helms that have been over-adorned with tinker gnome rubbish. They function as a standard minor helm (especially if you can somehow strip away all the junk), but are much cheaper to be had, costing only 50,000 gold pieces.

=Bardic Helm=
The Bardic Helm, as its name suggests, is a variant of the Major Helm created by the [[Arcane]] to somehow channel the underlying magical energies of music into motive force. Seriously, this is the only type of jammer helm where you technically don't need to be magical to operate it; so long as you can play the instrument incorpated into its structure, you can make the ship go, even if you're not a [[bard]]. Of course, most ships outfitted with a bardic helm use a strange, exotic instrument to minimalize the risk of theft.

A Bardic Helm costs 200,000 GP.

=Grand Helm=
Grand Helms are a special kind of helm created by the Red Wizards of [[Thay]] from the [[Forgotten Realms]], and could be seen as midway point between a standard helm and a Series Helm. Grand Helms are designed to be operated by a team of four mages or priests, who pool their collective magical energy - this results in a Ship Rating equal to the collective caster levels of the four helmsmen divided by 4 (rounding up fractions).

What makes Grand Helms particularly unique is that, at spelljamming speed, they partially [[Plane Shift]] into the [[Ethereal Plane]], which doubles their speeed and makes it harder for them to be slowed down by proximity to other vessels or stellar objects - it takes 200 tons to force a Grand Helm'd ship out of spelljamming speed.

This has a disadvantage, however; because the helm is designed to partially travel in the Ethereal Plane, it's actually physically incapable of moving through the [[Phlogiston]]. A ship with a Grand Helm can't enter a portal from a Crystal Sphere into [[Wildspace]], and if plalced there somehow, is stuck like a fly in amber. The only way a Grand Helm'd ship could be moved between Crystal Spheres is if another ship (or an incredibly powerful teleport type spell) ''physically transports them''. For this reason, you are almost never going to see a Grand Helm outside of Realmspace, and even there, only aboard the Quad of Thay ships that they were invented to propel.

=Ki-Helm=
Ki-Helms are another kind of "collectively powered" spelljammer helm. In this case, they were created by the nation of Wa in the [[Forgotten Realms]] to take advantage of their high access to ki manipulators and relative dearth of magic users, with the specific intent of powering their massive "Tsunami-class" capital ships. This was after their early experiments in spelljamming, the Rudders of Arcane Propulsion, proved to be rather substandard.

Designed to be manned by a team of up to eight ki manipulators, a Ki-helm consists of a large onyx circle featuring a yin-yang symbol, while at the center of the circle is an octagonal crystal which absorbs the ki energy from the various ki-empowered individuals. Around the central crystal are eight circles which are carved into the onyx which makes up the base of the helm. The ki-empowered individuals each sit within one of the eight circles, where they meditate and focus their inner strength. At the center of the circle, a ninth person will be seated upon the octagonal crystal, and they will focus the accumulated ki energy into motive force and maneuvering the ship. Without the focal helmsman, the accumulated ki energy is wasted and the vessel will remain idle.

A ki-helm '''depends''' on this large group of fuel-men to move, because they are the least efficient convertors; a ki-helm can't even move without 10 ki points of fuel, and gains +1 Ship Rating for every 20 full ki points available (so SR 2 at 20 Ki, SR 3 at 40 ki, etc).

A ki-empowered individual can serve at the ki-helm for 12 hours, or a number of hours equal to their ki strength. Anything beyond this limit leaves them exhausted and unable to serve for the rest of the day. Those who serves their full allotted time on a ki-helm must rest one full day before returning to the helm, or their contribution to the total ki is cut in half (rounded down) until they rest.

=Radiant Helm=
Radiant Helms were invented by the [[drow]], and are similar in basic principle to Series Helms, in that they draw upon the inherent magical energy of the user rather than channeled arcane or divine magic. Built from certain unique radioactive ores native to the [[Underdark]], a radiant helm resembles a crown constructed from the legs of a large poisonous spider, and radiates an aura that is visible to those with exceptional infravision (120').

A Radiant Helm is only compatible with ships specially designed to incorpoate it, whih includes using other Underdark-native ores. A helmsman loses all innate magical abilities until they have rested for a full eight hours.

=Furnaces & Artifurnaces=
Furnaces are an archaic form of helm that consumes magical energy taken from magical items instead of channeled by living helmsman. This "burns up" the item in question, similarly to feeding coal into a steam engine. Generally, a furnace functions for 1 week at Ship Rating 2 per 1,000 EXP the item fed to it is worth; feeding two items at once makes it function at SR 3, but has a 25% chance of making the Furnace explode in a 30ft 10d10 fireball.

Furnaces, obviously, cannot be operated in the [[Phlogiston]]; the eldritch fires that they produce as a side-effect of burning through magical items means that exposure to the Phlogiston causes them to explode.

Artifurnaces are a unique variant of Furnace constructed around a single Artifact-tier magical item. As artifacts are effectively indestructible, artifurnaces provide infinite energy. An artifurnace resembles a pot-bellied cast-iron stove with an iron mesh door and a gnomish handle near the stove pipe, which is clamped and hammered shut. To create an artifurnace, a cast-iron stove must be enchanted to capture the life essence of an intelligent being. The stove must then be lit with green hickory seedlings and the selected artifact placed within. The essence would then draw forth the required motive force to propel the spelljammer, providing the ship with almost unlimited power.

Once installed on a suitable ship, an artifurnace provides an SR of 5 whenever it is activated, and will run indefinitely, powered by the artifact placed within. The artifurnace is activated by lifting the gnomish handle located the stove pipe, and is deactivated by pushing down the same lever. The operator, usually the navigator, can also invoke any one of the powers possessed by the artifact located within the artifurnace.

Whenever the artifurnace is activated, it becomes so hot it deals 12d6 points of damage to anyone who touches any part other than the handle. It also has the side-effect of attracting the attention of any powerful being associated with the artifact used to power the artifurnace. Finally, the artifurnace shares any and all curses that are associated with the artifact used to power it.

=Lifejammers & Deathjammers=
Lifejammers and Deathjammers, collectively known as Death Helms, are the invention of the [[Neogi]], and are only used by sick bastards. Both versions drain life force efrom their "helmsman", but the Deathjammer also has an insidious enchantment built into it that effectively Charms the helmsman so they become addicted to the sensation of being siphoned dry of life.

A Lifejammer drains 1d8 HP per day of operation. The Ship's Rating can be calculated by assuming that the creature within was a wizard using a minor helm, at that creature's current level. For example: a 6th level thief will operate as though he were a 6th level mage.

The Deathjammer functions identically, but can move spacecraft as if it were a major helm.

=Pump Helm=
{{NotFunny}}
The Pump is a spelljamming helm that must be fed material in order to create SR. The type of material placed in The Pump will determine the SR that this spelljamming engine generates (see the following table). Simply stated, one pound of material ( 10 coins or gems) can move a spelljamming ship of up to 100 tons for one hour. After that, absolutely nothing is left of the material placed in the helm. (If the fuel used was flesh, there is nothing left to resurrect.)

The Pump cannot digest magical items at all. Spell books, enchanted swords, and artifacts that are placed in The Pump are never metabolized. They are ejected from the ship after being in the helm for over 24 hours.

A particularly gruesome contraption, The Pump is a creation of the unhumans; basically for the goblins and goblinkin races. Since the latest Unhuman Wars began, The Pump has increased in potency as well as popularity. Now, every captain in the goblin fleets wants one for his ship.

=Crown of Stars=
{{NotFunny}}

A Crown of the Stars is a magical item that functions like a wearable minor helm that allows its user to power a vessel, as well as move around normally.

Despite its name, a crown of the stars can resemble any form of jewellery that is worn on the head (like a circlet), around the neck (like a necklace), on the arm (like a torc), or around the waist (like a girdle). All known crowns of the stars are significantly larger than a ring and all contain some silver in their construction.

A crown of the stars that is used to power a ship for longer than a week, is bonded to that particular vessel. It cannot be used to power a different ship unless it has been away from its bonded ship for over a week, severing the bond.

The crown of the stars is effective up to one mile (1.6 kilometres) from the ship it is bonded to, so a helmsman can operate the vessel even if they are not onboard.

A crown of the stars cannot override an active helm, but can be used to power any appropriate vessel at spelljamming speed.

[[Category: Spelljammer]]

Nephilim

2022-09-04T17:05:52Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:6D3E:5735:CBBE:C0F8: /* Warhammer 40k */

==[[Mythology#Abrahamic_Mythology_.28Judaism.2C_Christianity.2C_Islam.29|Abrahamic Mythology]]==
'''Nephilim''' are mentioned in Genesis and Numbers. The word is frequently translated as [[giants]], but sometimes it is left untranslated. Some biblical scholars think they are [[half-fiends]].

==[[Magic: The Gathering]]==
'''Nephilim''' are four-colored creatures from [[Ravnica]].

==[[Pathfinder]]==
There are [[Outsider|Native Outsiders]] called '''Nephilim''' that appear in Bestiary 3.

==[[Warhammer 40k]]==
[[Image: Nephilim40KFanart.png]]
The '''Nephilim''' are a race of minor [[Xenos#Warhammer_40.2C000|Xenos]]. They parasitically psychically fed on faith, tricking planets into worshipping them in return for paradise in the hereafter whilst draining entire worlds of their life force.

[[Category: Minor Xenos Species]]

Nephilim

2022-09-04T17:05:24Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:6D3E:5735:CBBE:C0F8: /* Warhammer 40k */

==[[Mythology#Abrahamic_Mythology_.28Judaism.2C_Christianity.2C_Islam.29|Abrahamic Mythology]]==
'''Nephilim''' are mentioned in Genesis and Numbers. The word is frequently translated as [[giants]], but sometimes it is left untranslated. Some biblical scholars think they are [[half-fiends]].

==[[Magic: The Gathering]]==
'''Nephilim''' are four-colored creatures from [[Ravnica]].

==[[Pathfinder]]==
There are [[Outsider|Native Outsiders]] called '''Nephilim''' that appear in Bestiary 3.

==[[Warhammer 40k]]==
[[Image: Nephilim40KFanart.jpg]]
The '''Nephilim''' are a race of minor [[Xenos#Warhammer_40.2C000|Xenos]]. They parasitically psychically fed on faith, tricking planets into worshipping them in return for paradise in the hereafter whilst draining entire worlds of their life force.

[[Category: Minor Xenos Species]]

Leagues of Votann

2022-09-04T17:01:03Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:6D3E:5735:CBBE:C0F8: /* Known Leagues */

{{stub}}

[[File:Votann meeting.jpg|400px|thumb|right|[[Star Wars|200,000 clones are ready with a million more well on the way.]]]]

{{topquote|Right after Mankind’s colonization of the galaxy came its first true golden age. Reared by machine prophets, the survivors of the Oedipal plagues built civilizations that equaled and even surpassed their Solar forbears.| CM Koseman, ''All Tomorrow's''}}

{{topquote|Better a soulless clone... than a souled roach.|David Mitchell, ''Cloud Atlas''}}

{{topquote|Bite my shiny metal ass!|Bender, ''Futurama''}}

The '''Leagues of Votann''' (also known as the [[Squats|Unsquatted Squats]]) is a [[retcon|""new""]] faction in the [[Warhammer 40,000]] universe. They are gatherings of short abhuman clones called the Kin (more commonly known as Squats by the dirty Necromunda gangers), bound together by the [[Votann]], super-cogitators from the [[Dark Age of Technology]]. Each League has its own Votann, and are organized in strongholds around it. [[Powergamer|They used the data stored to survive among the stars and maintain their culture across generations]]. Of course, since some [[Adeptus Mechanicus|factions]] are touchy about AI, the Leagues are very cautious when dealing with [[Imperium of Man|its closest ally]], hence their secretive lifestyle.

However, because of the [[grimdark|setting]], everything is not that simple. Since Windows is not regularly updated anymore and issues that have arisen from having remained active for literal millennia, the Votann began to deteriorate. If they want to repair their computer, <s>[[Dwarf Fortress|they must wage war with other shitcoin miners for more processing power]]</s>, the Kin have to once more brave a galaxy full of danger.

==History==
Even the oldest living Kin don’t remember what their earliest days were like, though some undeniable “First Truths” remain constant in the Votanns’ data tracks. One such truth is that the First Ancestors departed from ancient Terra prior to the Unification Wars to harvest the untold riches of the galaxy with the first holds being settled near the galactic core. What became of these Ancestors is unknown, but curiously when the Ancestors begun to fade away…the Votann are first mentioned.

A second First Truth is that the Kin have always been a cloned people. The Ancestors used genetic systems called “cloneskeins” to manipulate and modify their race’s molecular structure, and continue to define their overall division of labor. Over time the Kin became squatter, denser, and stronger than an average human growing no more than five feet tall max. They’ve even been able to artificially neuter their [[psyker|psychic]] footprint to avoid the attention of [[Chaos]], in a not too dissimilar to how the [[Tau]] souls work. Other examples of this engineering can be seen in the Hearthkyn Warriors, who often are also engineered with particular cloneskeins that allow them to specialise in combat – heightened senses, improved stamina, and the ability to see better in the dark, to name but a few. In contrast, others augment their bodies for battle with mechanical limbs and synthetic organs, with members of the powerful Cthonian Mining Guilds being noted as extensive users of these body modifications. This is not that unexpected as that particular guild (which is noted as being a particularly extreme embodiment of the usual belligerent acquisitiveness of the Kin) is willing to fearlessly locate, secure, and harvest resources for their race from environments so dangerous that even other Kin would baulk at their hazards leading to a need for extensive augmentation on their part. Because of all the above, some fans are now speculating that GW is tying the [[Men of Stone]] thread to the modern Squat civilization (either to the Squats themselves or to the Votann) given the [[Men of Gold]] and [[Men of Iron]] have already been speculated to be [[Perpetual]]s and [[Machine Spirit|abominable intelligence]]. With the reveal of the “Iron Kin,” their fully-mechanical and true AI robot social class, who were designed with a prerogative to help their meaty cousins, this theory of the Kin being the Men of Stone could bear all the more weight.

At some point during the reconstruction after the Horus Heresy, the ancestors of the Ironhead Squats arrived from the Leagues to help with rebuilding efforts on Necromunda. However they somehow lost their Votann ancestor core in the process and so they ended up having to stay on the world long after the rebuilding was done so they could try and track it down, a search which still continues to this day and has resulted in them regressing technologically in the mean time.

With the formation of the Great Rift, the Leagues had lost a few holds and trade routes, pressuring them into expanding and gaining new trade routes, endorsing new colonization efforts, and slowly withdrawing from their semi isolated state.

==Culture==
{{topquote|So, we're talking about space dwarfs who need more RAM for their gods?|Anon}}

In the modern day of the 41st Millennium, the culture of the Kin seems, according to the drip feed from WarCom, very egalitarian, with no distinction between male, female, machine or otherwise amongst its members. [[Greater Good|United in the guidance of the Votann, the Leagues of the Kin operate with seeming unity, with the Kin working in unison for the betterment of their Kindreds, or so it would appear to outsiders.]] The truth however is a little more complicated than that though.

The Leagues are semi unified conglomerates of "family states" (a cross between nation states and extended family) called Kindreds, guilds, Freelancers, and kinhost armies. While the Leagues are very communal and chummy with their fellow kin, this does not stop the dark influences of a past long gone from seeping into their civilizations.

Entire planets and even systems with ecosystems and civilizations stripped to the bone, regardless of the ethics. global magna extraction and tectonic delving allows the Kin to harvest whole world, populated or not. Evacuation may be offered, but not always. Ferocious competition between Guilds and freelancers, who have taken on the mantle from dark age corporations, merc groups, independent contractors, and cartels and follow the philosophy of "When someone has what you want, why not take it. While the Kin do live to serve their fellow kin, their societies, and their ancestors, they are also filled to the brim with societal wide greed and hunger. As individuals, they may or may not have such hungers, but as communities they will devour entire worlds. Not even the universe itself will be enough for their wants.

This does not mean they are the type to cut corners. Far from it. Like their many Dwarven counter parts in other media, one of the things they appreciate is fine ass Craftmanship. No planned obsolescence, shoddy piss water, and easy to break communicators here. Only the best in quality is acceptable (or at least, the best they can make). And this is not even such a difficult feat for them. High quality mass produced goods is the norm for League society, with their high technology and industrial society. Many of their holds are even live in factories, constantly churning out master crafted items at a constant pace. The Leagues overall conduct resource extraction, industry. and technology developments on a vastly larger scale, making the Imperium look puny in their developments by comparison. And unlike the imperium, they dont dig for the ore required, wasting time and lives. the Kin instead sees that whatever asteroid or world they are working on can just be torn apart, and the remnants plucked out the wreckage

But despite all their comforts and conveniences, they are still a hardy people who revere their ancestors and promote the importance of sacrifice.

==Technology==
Let's not beat around the bush here, their stuff is straight up better than the Imperium's. While they didn't retain everything after the collapse of the golden age of Man, they retained far more than their Imperial counterparts, to the point where they can at least echo DAoT society and its tech. While much of the Leagues tech is reminiscent of the Imperium's, it's is LEAGUES better than what they have.

They can edit their souls. They can make stable mutations and psykers. Their guns hit harder and faster, and even their basic infantry can prove to be trouble for your average space marine. Agri-worlds? Why grow your food using outdated primitive farming methods when you can grow, and make your foodstuffs in your factories, labs, and indoor facilities. Cybernetic implants and genetic modification is the norm, and advanced helper AI citizens walk the streets as equals. They have advanced ion weaponry, something that terrified the shit out of the Imperium to the point where they just straight up banned it. And unlike the unstable, insecure, filthy, and crime-infested hive worlds with their hive cities, Holds could be considered closer to actual fortified arcologies than the hive cities ever were. They also make use of exotic materials (Much of the kins weapons contain exotic material not found outside the galactic core) like Dark star ore, which is extremely dangerous to life, as just a single cut can cause death as the universal dampening field the material emits can halt all mechanical and organic functions. Because of the dangers, the material is mined and shaped with exceptional care, and is only wielded by those who could be trusted with such a equally dangerous and tactically valuable weapon. They have almost flawless teleportation technology, so kin can be deployed without significant risk. It can even be used tactically. Another one of amazing devices are pan spectular scanners, which allow the Kin to find a enemy’s location, not only through walls and objects, but also through the warp. They also have stellar siphons that drain the stars themselves as the cithonic mining guilds take whatever resources they need, and even the most terrifying of galactic phenomena are reaped through atom delving and transotheric resubstantiation. The Kins warp drives and Gellar field are superior to the Imperium’s, making travel safer and more reliable. Thanks to said superior shielding tech, shielding developments are also prevalent in the physical realm, with weave field generators employing a technique where different energy fields overlap and interlock over a range of frequencies and exotic energies. Weave field generators are compact and efficient, and can be use as personal shields and can even be projected onto entire areas, which is useful for mining. They can scout for minerals and space hulks while in the warp. They have plasma blades made entirely of plasma, and their cores act like mini Astronomicans because they are so big brained, they shine in the warp. Many of their weapons are augmented with HunTR modules, which connects to the Kins neural implants, and help bring the best possible firing solution that can be achieved. Their Brôkhyr have mastered the manufacturing of Focusing lenses and other components necessary to produce a sustained stream of energy, leading
to focused beam technology that can be used on and off the battlefield, such as their mining and excavation industries. Much of the kins weapons contain exotic material not found outside the galactic core. And like their more peaceful interex counterparts, their ships are FUCK HUGE, to the point where they dwarf even the largest of the Imperium's interstellar vessels. They can even move entire planets. Their Volkanite weapons have remained the same, with few alterations, but the fact that they can still make them commonly puts them way above the imperium. Like it was said earlier, strictly better.

Unfortunately for them, much of the tech they didn't retain was the top of the line tech, things like the Votanns. Due to this, while they can emulate most of past pinnacle human civilization, their development and research has slowed down to a crawl thanks to their big moai heads also slowing down (which does the work not many in the galaxy could ever do, thanks to their smarts). Until this is fixed (if it ever will be), they are stuck behind the Eldar and the Necrons technologically. But hey, at least they aren't on the Imperium’s level of decay.

==Aspects of League society==
*'''Leagues:''' Conglomerates of family states united for better economic and defensive potential. Competitive, but not to the point of self destruction and to the point where it gets in the way of productivity. Looks down on the Imperium. Hates the eldar because they are entitled bastards who are bad for business. Some are business partners with the Tau and gives them ion guns and other goodies. Loves their Votanns to point of self sacrifice. Their numbers greatly outnumber the populations of the upstart tau and the dwindling eldari, yet their population is still far fewer than the imperium obviously (they are still described as having formidable and vast interstellar empires however). Loves their Galactic core due to its crazy amounts of wealth and minerals, and it being quite inhospitable to the other races (which they were <ref><nowiki>Insert non-formatted text here</nowiki></ref>made to live in). There is no exact number of known Leagues, the Kin find no use in keep track of it. Can often be in nomadic (living in spacefaring holds). Currently trying to fix up their broken trade routes after the Great Rift appeared.
*'''First Ancestors:''' The DAOT colonists (engineers, miners, etc) who journeyed to the galactic mineral-rich core in generation ships as part of a large colonization effort. Not much else is know about them besides the fact they disappeared when the Votann first appeared...

*'''[[Votann]]s:''' super-cogitators, which contain Gestalt repositories of unimaginable inherited wisdom and knowledge, along with [[Spirit stone|Ancestor Cores]] with their self-organizing datastacks and quantum infocores. All members of the Leagues after they pass on returned and recycled to the ancestor cores in somber ceremonies, both mind and body. Even the ironkin are not immune to this fate, as while they are long lived, they will eventually slow down to a crawl and breakdown. The minds and uploaded data are kept in the votann, while the bodies are recycled to make new kin. They are currently breaking down and developing [[Machine Spirit|"personalities"]], with calculations that normally took hours taking decades, if not centuries to complete. However they can still be modified by the kin (often at the votanns request). Curiously, they also serve another purpose as acting as mini [[Astronomican|Astronomicans]] for the Leagues, due to their vast intellect literally shining in the warp. Has been stated that the "Votann belong to the Kin as Kin belong to the Votann". Often act more like advisors and repositories (none of them have been leaders). Due to their degradation and age, some of the Votann have even lost the ability to produce more kin (Brokhyrs and Ironkin Guilds can produce more ironkin, but they are of lower quality than what the ancestors create). The ancestor cores have been stated to have been on the first generation ships.

*League Leadership tends to be broken down as follows:
**'''Votannic Council:''' A League’s ultimate ruling body presumably second only to the Votann themselves. Stubborn, and are slow to change their minds or come to decisions. Elections in the Leagues generally are extremely heated. Needed for full on wars (local conflicts excluded).
**'''Guild Masters:''' Guild Leaders who have worked their way up through the Leagues meritocracy. Note that there can be multiple guild masters on the council.
**'''Brôkhyr Forge-Master:''' The absolute cream of the crop from the forges of the Leagues, they not only have proved their ability to create technological marvels,but over see their development as well. They also bring the fury of the Forge to the battlefield, delivering council to the warriors on the field as well.
**'''Lord Grimnyr:''' The ultimate representative of the Grimnyr, who embodies wisdom, guidance, and insight. The Lord Grimnyr acts as the voice of the Votann itself, acting as a walking conduit for both their lore and gestalt might. This role is not purely a ceromonial or advisory role, for it is incumbent upon the Lord Grimnyr to walk the battlefield as the eyes, ears, and voice of the Votann, dispensing wisdom to friends and allies, and unleashing the wrath of the Ancestors. It is not known how they are selected for the position.
**'''Grimnyr:''' Kin psykers that wield massive amounts of power. Capable of accessing "empyrically archived" Votann wisdom. They are probably deeply tied to the Votanns and represent them in their wing of the Leagues governments. <s>Probably</s> Definitely have very long beards.
**'''High Kâhl:''' The ultimate military commanders of the kinhost militaries. To be named High Kâhl is both a tremendous honour and a awesome responsibility. To be elected a High Kâhl, the incumbent must go beyond just a tremendously capable warriors ,and a indomitable battlefield leader. They must master the cruel calculus of war itself.
**'''Kinhost commanders/senior Officers:''' The military leaders of the Kinhost militaries that rank below the High Kâhl.
*'''Kindreds:''' A combination between nation state and extended family, essentially the societies that make up the Leagues. Generally lives in holds (although it's population is encouraged to go travel throughout the galaxy and make their ancestors proud). They are very communal in nature, and their populations range from a couple dozen to the millions. Each one is governed by a Votannic council. They have their own aspects which are called the Four Pillars:
# Hearth: “the heart of the hold,” literally the heat and light their forges, recycle air, and let the kin thrive
# Forge: Here everything the Kindred needs is built, from weapons to life-support systems
# Thane: Where the Grimnyr interface with the Ancestor Cores
# Crucible: Where new flesh and blood Kin are made

*'''Kinhosts:''' The militaries/militias of the Leagues, made after the kindreds united and combined their militaries. Soldiers are typically drawn from the civilian populous, but are not restricted to kinhosts only, as depending on their decision (after they completed their oath of service to their Kâhl), the soldier may return to civilian life after they have done their service. Objectives range from protecting colonization efforts, protecting resources extraction operations and other guild/kindred interests, and overall defense to annihilating entire worlds because they know too much. Has a slightly overall civilian look to them (but are still more deadly than Imperial forces). The forces within the kinhosts militaries (called oathbands), are extremely flexible on what they consist of. Some of these oathbands can even consist entirely of mercenaries.

*'''Guilds:''' The overall backbone of the Leagues. Independent commercial groups. Builds holds and everything else. Regulates and manages almost everything, and oversees fair competition( but are not necessarily overbearing). Does not like cutting corners. Very competitive and ruthless in general. Is unofficially apart of the government. Typically doesn't leave their own holds. Does not like Freelancers and outcasts (and the occasional rival guild). Every aspect of life and production is affected by the guilds. Clonskin guilds exist and work to improve upon and stabilize cloneskins. Ironkin Guilds exist as well.

*'''Freelancers:''' Independent contractors, mercenaries, traders, explorers, plumbers, etc. Does the same thing as the guilds except with less political influence and resources. Not too fond of guilds

*'''Holds:''' The homes of the Leagues and its organizations and populous. Typically enclosed and fortified, holds vary in type and size. Can range from underground tunnels and narrows, to fortified bunkers and live in factories, to hive cities and ecumenopolises. Also comes in the form of space stations, asteroid colonies, and ships. Industrial and high tech in nature, yet very cozy with a lot of empasis on community, closeness, and interaction. Essentially hive cities except not shit and on steroids. Contains "Hearths", which act as the hearts of the holds, providing heat, light, and recycled air, and overall let the kin thrive. Hearths also act as reactors for the Kins holds, powering up all their electrical needs.

*'''Kin in general/clonekin:''' The general population of the Leagues. Mainly consists of ironkin and clonekin (although, there could be more). Tough as nails, and artificial in nature. Comes from "crucibles" (which they prefer due to regular reproduction diluting the genetic quality of offspring. Generally enhanced by both biological and cybernetic means. Very intelligent and industrious. Loves their ancestors to death. Loves their Kin and kindreds. Loves making their master crafts. Loves living in their fortified holds (but will go out into the galaxy to serve the ancestors, their guilds, and their communities). They get to pick their own names (excluding their family names, which they get from the names the crucibles has attached to it, and its considered rude to change), and gain more throughout their life from fellow kin like "Orkslayer". Loves their individuality and mutations (although some cloneskin templates and mutations can actually lower the lifespan of a clonkin, along with clonekins who had their production accelerated). Far from uncommon for them to get plenty of physical alterations. They were also made to resist and endure the warp and its corruptions, dampening their souls (note: they are masking their souls brightness, not actually dimming down their souls) for better protection. They also have high amouns of white blood cells, which allows them to greatly resist disease, and heal swiftly. Some can see in infrared.

*'''Ironkin:''' The League have [[Men of Iron]] now, or at least true AIs. Appears to be comparable to a Servitor, although distinctly described as being treated as equal to the fleshy Kin. The Ironkin can mimic their living counterparts’ every behavior and demeanor, but display no sense of ambition and are hard-wired with a desire to be helpful. Their bodies are all built for a unique purpose and cannot be easily replaced should they be damaged. One such purpose are the Wayfinders, which are the supercomputer, squatty equivalent of Imperial [[navigator|navigators]], allowing the Kin to traverse the Warp without the need of psykers, and thus reduce the threat of daemonic incursions. All ironkin have a CU, or Cerebral Unit, and a mechanical body, both of which are unique to each individual ironkin. The CU's themselves are nigh indestructible (with microfield generators woven into the structure of the unit), and can send out distress beacons. Since Kin are kin, these are high priority for recovery.

*'''COGs:''' Are essentially the lower forms of ai, automatons, and algorithms the Leagues possess. Akin to tau drones (yet still more advanced). Does much of the menial jobs and such in the Leagues, along with being utilized in combat as well, and overall helps automate the Leagues of Votann. Probably still treated better than servitors (especially considering they look like ironkin).

*'''Outcasts:''' Hippies, troublemakers, and those Kin who do shit like performing illegal experiments, probably.

==Known Leagues==
*'''Urani-Surtr Regulates:''' A determined League constantly being invaded, they will fight to the last person standing. Their kin live on the minimum and are currently at war with a necron world (and the necron sunnok dynasty). Are stoic, pragmatic, and abhor waste like most other Leagues, though they are noted for being less concerned with the cost of lives and material for battle to prevent giving up ground. Likes to keep their population counts high for their oathbands. No kin admitted to the Urani-Surtr Regulates has ever left.
*'''Greater Thurian League:''' The probable poster boy League. Has a teal color scheme. Largest of the Leagues, spreading over a wide expanse of the galactic core. Includes over 200 allied kindred, and it contains the biggest guild. Very wealthy and expansionist, they have a lot of military might and resources at their disposal and they want to expand their reach. Their members think they epitomize what it means to be Kin. Are uncompromising with their mercenary attitude. Apparently, their grim, methodical pragmatism is an inspiration to other Leagues.
*'''Trans-Hyperion Alliance:''' The most puritanical in their worship of the Ancestors. Sacrifice has more importance to them than the other leagues. They enjoy collecting data and new info for their Votanns. They are a nomadic league, spread out not only across the galactic core but beyond, into far space. with prospects venturing the width and breath of the galaxy. This lifestyle is driven by the requirement to enrich their Votanns, which for the Trans-Hyperion Alliance is a reward of itself.
*'''Kronus Hegenomy:''' Its the most militaristic and aggressive league (to the point of being aggressive other leagues). Recently formed less than millennium ago. [[Awesome|Ork Waaaghs, Imperial crusades and many other threats have been broken by the mighty kinhost of the Kronus hegemony]]. It's the newest League with a harsh reputation, due to their strictness and quotas. Their Votann has achieved self-awareness and has been demanding the Hegemony to always gather resources; Kindreds that join have to pay a hefty price to join and then have to pay hefty tributes through conquest. They also already pissed off the other Leagues in territorial disputes. Despite their reputation, are still seen as a boon for the other Leagues due to their defensive capabilities.
*'''Ymyr Conglomerate:''' A massive and ancient power bloc. Has a red color scheme. Few value quality craftsmanship more than the Ymyr conglomerate. They have long ventured beyond the core trading and operating all over the galaxy. They are the richest League, having the best living standards to boot. Even for the other Leagues, they appear decedent. They also have a higher amount of high-quality weaponry and equipment for their kinhosts.
*'''Seran-Tok Mercantile Leagues:''' Has risen to prominence and profited greatly from trade with the T’au Empire. Probably the Demiurg.
*'''Grand Orion Compact:''' Their Votann was destroyed by Orks.
*'''Emberg Agnir Bloc:''' Destroyed by Tyranids. Their Votann absorbed their biomass to deny the Tyranids their prize as revenge, which drove the Votann mad, turning it into "The Mad Core", which causes fluctuations in the Warp impeding travel near their former hold.

==Known Kindreds/Holds==

==Known Guilds==

==Noteworthy Kin==
*'''Ûthar the Destined:''' A great Kahl from the Greater Thurian League that has a mysterious objective and destiny, prophesied to complete a great task. He’s a ruthless warrior armed with masterfully wrought weapons, including the legendary Blade of the Ancestors, and has a gift for assessing enemy foes.

==Relationship/interactions with other factions==
'''Galactic relations in general:''' The Kin will leave most of the denizens in the galaxy alone, so long as they aren't getting in-between what the Kin want. The Leagues of Votann trade outside the core through a range of names, though these are rarely of their choosing this has caused confusion and misunderstanding over who these mercenary adventurers really are. To those who are in their way however (unwillingly or not), the Kin are a tough nut to crack. Even far from the more secure area that is the galactic core, the Kin are a armoured, fortified, bunkered down, advanced, and tactical juggernaut. More often than not, the Kin succeed in their conflicts, and even the more major players of the galaxy find them difficult. On occasion, a resistant population may be deemed too strong for any conflict to be worthwhile, but most of the time any resistance will be swept aside or ignored. he Kin have no compunctions about tearing open the crust of a world whilst the population still dwells upon it, however sometimes a evacuation can be negotiated. To those on the kins good side, they are invaluable business parts. To those on their bad side, they are a force of ruthlessness and greed.

'''Ironhead Squat Prospectors:''' See each other as distant cousins who can share a pint in the pub and complain about the aeldari.

'''Tyranids:''' Tyranid invasions have caused an incalculable amount of damage to the Kin. Their hive fleets are given a grudging respect for their effectiveness, but the Kin have no pause in hunting them down should they stand in between them and their prize. The tyranids consider the Kin to be another source of biomass and will descend upon their worlds like any other, such was the case with the Northstar cluster, where the bioforms exhibited a odd nesting behavior not seen elsewhere. They have proven difficult to eradicate, and have brought devastation to the Urani-Surtr Regulates. The Kin see the danger of the Tyranids, following the destruction of the Emberg Agnir Bloc. It was made up of a few dozen kindred and found themselves in the path of hive fleet Leviathan. The League was wiped out. The Votann was left untouched. It absorbed the bodies of its fallen Kin to deny the Tyranids the biomass, and was driven mad, becoming the mad core, and causing fluctuations in the warp that disrupt travel

'''Tau:''' They view the Leagues as grand benefactors and business partners of the Greater Good and the Tau Empire - although they could certainly improve their view points and dedication to the cause. They are also really happy with their new technology they received from the Demiurg/Leagues, with their ion technology being extremely popular among the Tau's forces. The Leagues see the Tau as as a very naive and young people, though they appreciate the value of the greater good as it shares similarities with their own philosophy, putting Kin first. The tau are more than happy to pay the Leagues, though the Kin rarely share their more advanced developments. As an example, the Kins ion tech is superior and far more compact than the Tau's. Thanks to the extreme naivety of the tau, the tau actually think the few ships they see from the Leagues are all that is left of the Kin, following a invasion from the Tyranids. These rumors have been rebuffed by the kin, much to the confusion of the Tau. The Kin see no value in enlightening them in this regard so long as the can continue to profit from trade with the naive civilization. With the advances of the empire in the Chalnath expanse, there have been some clashes with the various factions of the Kin, which may have soured some local relations

'''The Imperium of Man:''' View the Leagues as useful and good enough for trade, yet they're also sketchy abhumans who stray too far from the holy human form and are probably heretics. On the world of Necromunda at least, they are looked down upon as Squats despite all they've done for the world. Likewise, the Leagues view the Imperium as a bunch of disappointing dumbfuck competitors - although they're still good enough for trade. Will surprisingly be honest about their usage of AI if pressed on it (which of course pisses the Imperium off). On some Imperial worlds like Necromunda, the Kin have been there since their Imperial records started. Rogue traders are more than happy to deal with the Leagues, though their extravagant life styles are considered wasteful by the kin, and deals are made with desperate governors of Imperial worlds, for a suitable fee. The more zealous of the Imperium deem the Kin as xenos. And at one point, the Demiurg had a automated mining facility that was infiltrated by the alpha legion. Overall, the Kin treat them as any other species.

'''Aeldari:''' [[Elf|Guess]]. They like to keep their meetings brief and few.

'''Dark Aeldari:''' [[Dwarf Fortress|Guess again]].

'''Harlequin:''' Weird creepy clowns that are to be avoided.

'''Aeldari Exodites:''' [[Avatar|Guess thrice]]. Although, the Kin actually do respect them for their more practical nature. Still more than happy to invade for resources though.

'''Necrons:''' The Necrons consider the Kin to be another upstart race, though with a level of trepidation. Not only are they considered remarkably dangerous foes to fight, the Kin also delve deep into their worlds, breaking into tomb complexes, and plundering the rich harvest within. To the Kin, the metallic aliens are easy pickings while they sleep, and vicious foes when roused. Typically shoot on sight levels of diplomacy. They already war with the Urani-Surtr Regulates for control over one of its main worlds. The involved Necrons is the Sunnok dynasty.

'''Orks:''' The Orks are the Leagues most hated Foe, as not only are they pervasive, they are also endlessly wasteful, fighting and destroying what the Kin have built, and The Leagues have been as successful as every other civilization in eradicating the Orks. The Orks are not stopped by the dangers of the core regions, and Ork pirate raids are a particular concern, with Orks like bog da freedin king and his numerous fleets pestering the Leagues. The Orks tendency to use whatever scrap they can get has led to the creation of the saying "a prize for a Ork" , used to describe things or ideas that are worthless to the Kin. The 500 years war was fought against WAAAGH Morbok after they overran the Grand Orion Compact's Hold of oriax iron gate kindred. The Votann in the hold was torn to pieces, the most widespread grudge in the history of the Kin was called, and the Compact spent the next five centuries hunting down every single Ork from WAAAGH Morbok.

'''Chaos:''' They find the Leagues to be a major pain in the ass as they actually have at least some idea on how to deal with chaos unlike their Imperial counterparts. They dimmed their souls, use soulless A.I. to pilot through the warp, have top notch security, and live high quality and comfortable lives in their holds. They see little to even no chaos corruption in the Leagues and will probably see more losses than wins with them. The Kin of course are absolutely disgusted by them, and have little time for their gruesome and foolish activities

'''The Adeptus Mechanicus:''' A series of mental breakdowns and cybernetic overloads occurs when Mechanicus members encounter the Leagues. Whether it's due to them seeing Heresy in the Leagues, or due to the many shinies the Leagues have, it doesn't matter. They will see the Leagues as major competition regardless of the reason, and move to claim the shinies for themselves. To the Leagues, the Adeptus Mechanicus are rats scurrying around a scrap heap. Superstitious tech cultists living on the successes of their ancient betters who's ignorance makes them dangerous. The Kin avoid them whenever possible, and are swift to eradicate them when needed.

==Speculation/Theories==
A bit of speculation around the Votann is if anything else in the setting will be retconned into/explained as being one. The most obvious candidate is the [[House Van Saar]] STC, described as being "large building" sized and "damaged" in that its spewing out radiation, similar to the disrepair some Votann are said to be in albeit more extreme, and if it was a Votann it would explain why Squats are on Necromunda.

The Votann are fueled by alcohol.

==Influences/Mythology/Aesthetic/Complaints==
*'''The greater rage:''' The 2001 release of the [[Tau]] was spurred with anger, confusion, and revulsion. Even to this day in the year 2022, you'll still see swathes of the community that seethe at the mere mention of the Tau, deeming them as "weaboo space communists who aren't grimdark enough", or simply "another vile xeno who is irrelevant". And like it's predecessor, The LoV is reaching similar levels of division and anger. But much like the decade that it was revealed in, the Leagues bring in a new scale of chaotic and unprecedented changes. This section is to help boil this down, and address complaints and confusion.

*'''The LoV and twentieth century futurism:''' There have been quite a few who have claimed that the LoV is "generic sci fi" and "inconsistent in it's design". To be quite frank, this is a bunch of nonsense hullabaloo. Anyone who has enjoyed enough fictional settings like that of [[Fallout|Fallout]] is going to tell you that the Leagues is full of [[Isaac Asimov|mid-centrury futurism]] and [[Arthur C. Clarke|classical sci-fi]], with the atv looking like a 1960s moon buggy, and the Hernkyn chopper looking like a mid centrury 60s bike ([https://youtu.be/ySxEFuUrdio|for gods sake, look at it's trailer]). While you will find some of dieselpunk in the LoV and its not entirely just mid centrury aesthetics, [[atompunk|atompunk]] has asserted its dominance here, Giving them a more civilian look. This also includes the look of the Ironkin (and to a certain extent [[UR-025]] and the [[Kastelan Class Battle-Automata]] which look like mid century robots. Fact is, the LoV is a love letter to classic sci fi. But that's not all.

*'''The LoV, and western/wacky sci fi:''' If you haven't noticed from the bolter revolvers, the abundance of words like "Pioneer", "frontier", "rugged", and "hardy, along with the fact that the first revealed ironkin looks a lot like a western black smith, the amount of "simple" pratical tools the Kin often carry, the Leagues have a lot of western influences. They also seem to still retain an air of comedic relief from their previous Squat forms. Expect future [[firefly|firefly]] references, and a Votann answering with [[Approved Literature|"42"]].

*'''The LoV, and mass produced goodness:''' Unlike their many Dwarven counter parts, the Leagues are by no means the top industrial power house of the galaxy (the necrons and the aeldari have them beat, along with most of the other species from around the time of the old ones). To be quite honest, they are more about industry as a theme rather than being the most industrious. However, one could say they are still the top non prehistoric industrial in the galaxy. They could also be said to be the top powerhouse in the galaxy that is both operating at its full capability (necron sleepiness), and still actively lives and colonizes the galaxy (eldar and their hidey holes). And in comparison to their "competitors", are probably the most easily accessible due to them generally not wanting to instantly butcher you the second they even glance at you, or just tell you to get lost. As for the lower powers? The Imperium, while it's very industrial, its also incredibly inefficient and and often...dumb with its capabilities in general (agri worlds, under use of auto loaders, crappy servitors). And the tau, while smarter than the imperium with their industrial capabilities, has far less potential with what they have.
**Moving on from their position in the galaxy, why the industrial aesthetic? Well, first off, they're dwarves. Second off, as mentioned above, the other industrial factions are either too insufficient to carry out certain ideas and concepts, or are too hidey. The Leagues are in the perfect position to introduce potential new concepts to the universe, like not crap hive cities, dyson spheres that don't belong to the necrons, megastructures, and potentially much more. it's a nice change of pace to see an actually efficient industrial that isn't controlled by ancient aliens.
**Thirdly, you need a little grime and practicality to that atompunk, and efficient industry is the perfect way to do it. Doesn't mean you can't have your cleanliness (and I'm pretty sure they'd prefer to not have pollution in their holds), just adds a tad bit of realistic imagery to it.

*'''Cleanliness, kin, and old world blues:''' Besides the reasons above, there is a reason the Leagues look so "clean", "organized", and a little "sleek", even for a advanced civilization. This comes from the more grimdark and evil side of the Leagues (which is a little weird and unique). As previously stated before, the Leagues are a meritocracy overseen By guilds, wise long bearded psykers, military commanders, and the mighty moai heads themselves. Said guilds are very competitive, and will not hesitate to strip to the bone entire planets with civilizations and ecosystems just to stay ahead.
**So are they capitalist? Maybe. But while they've shown how they can easily have conflicts with themselves, one of their mottos is "Kin are kin". They also seem to be very egalitarian within their societies, On top of this, we've had previous examples of society reaching post scarcity levels of comfort, including even some Imperial worlds, and the friggin lower tech tau. They also seem to put high importance on community and fellow kin. Even the guilds wouldn't be caught dead cutting corners and making shoddy products (they regulate much of League society).
**So socialists? Maybe. But really, the answer may be in-between (somewhat). Would certainly suggest looking up the guilds of post classical, classical, and pre-classical history to get a better perspective.
**But we do know that they are a meritocracy, the guilds are competitive, kin generally live comfortable lives, kin are Kin, kin are very egalitarian, guilds run and regulate much of League society, and the Leagues and the guilds still come to blow with eacher. What we can tell is that Leagues inner society is generally at least decent for its citizens. As for those who are outside of League society...
**Expect to see a lot of neocolonialism, colonialism, client states, banana Republics, puppet states, potentially narco states, banana wars, and the 1893 overthrowing of the kingdom of Hawaii except 10x worse (and with more planetary genocide). As with their holds: dirty on the outside, clean on the inside.

*'''The Lov, the mythological, and the fantastical:''' This one is a total mashup. You got Celtic, Greek, Nordic, and other mythologies mashed in. The Leagues are named after Greek titans, and Nordic gods. The Votann are based off [[Odin]]. The Kin are Geri and Freki, odins greedy wolves. The leadership is based off odins ideal leadership (with the grimnyr being based off one of his disguise names).

==Forces of the Kin==

*'''Warlord:''' Retaining their names from the times of Rogue Trader, the [[Squat Warlord|Kin Warlords]] likely play a much similar role to their predecessors, being the military leaders of their leagues.

*'''Kâhl:''' Experienced battle hardened Generals who proudly wield the Leagues advanced weaponry, and are the final authority over an individual Oathband in the Kinhost militaries, they’re subordinate only to their Kindred’s ruling Votannic Council. Their most important role is to cast the Eye of the Ancestors over their foes — marking out priority targets and ensuring the most dangerous enemies are the first to feel the wrath of the Kin. Equipment wise they carry nifty ornate armor and weapons like the Kin equivalent to storm bolter, plasma axes, and Volkite equipped power fists. FOR KARL!!

*'''[[Squat Thunderers|Brôkhyr]]:''' The [[Guildmaster|engineers]] and lead craftsman of the Leagues, named after the dwarf of Norse mythology, Brokkr, who built Mjolnir. They just blow tech priests out of the water on every level, as not only do their (creatively named) A.N-vyl Terminals (just picture a 3D printer but for guns) have MANY full STCs inside that make all their guns all that and a bag of chips in comparison to those of the Imperium, but they're also not limited by dogma and orthodoxy when it comes to technological advancements, meaning they actively upgrade their shit. That being said while their specialty lies in engineering these folks are also more than willing to throw down with the best of them. When the Oathbands head to battle, the Brôkhyr will strap on powerful exo-frames to become the mighty Thunderkyn. Although not quite as scratch-resistant as the Einhyr Hearthguard’s exo-armour, since the powerful suits they wear were initially adapted from rugged engineering rigs, they can still take a hell of a pummeling and allow the Brôkhyr Thunderkyn to heft the heaviest man-portable weapons the Leagues can muster with ease. Hordes of their enemies fall before salvos unleashed from bolt cannons, while heavy infantry find themselves pierced by the unstoppable lances of SP conversion beamers, prospects that have made more than one enemy think twice before attacking them.

*'''Brôkhyr Iron-master:''' The Brôkhyr are the Leagues’ highly skilled techno-artificers, and the Iron-masters are the cream of their crop. They head into battle with a dutiful Ironkin assistant and a knack for repairing even the most beaten-up vehicles. Helping them are a gaggle of E-COGs – hardy combat and repair drones, lacking the intellect of a true Ironkin.

*'''Grimnyr:''' The predominant psykers of the Leagues, dressed like [[weeb|fucking wizards]] in an army full of voidsuits and armor. Their robes cover their Power Armor to the point the [[Dark Angels]] themselves looks like normies. Gone are the days of [[Living Ancestor]]s, as the Kin now name their dwarf wizards after the false identity Odin took while on a bet from Frigg, from Norse Mythology (or ripping off the WHFB dwarf god [[Grimnir]]). Are essentially the Votanns eyes, ears, limbs, mouth, etc. They are able to access directly the data stores of the Votann using psychic powers, and communicates its will and guidance to their Kindreds and Leagues. They are the closet you'll to a priest in the largely secular Leagues. They also use barrier tech to help them harness the raw power of the immaterium in battle – such as summoning two mechanical CORVs that often hover alongside them as familiars (very similar to the ability of the gene stealer cults to summon familiars). Essentially mystical wise old men.

*'''[[Squat Berserkers|Cthonian Berserks]]:''' Hailing from the Cthonian mining guilds which are noted for venturing to environments even other Kin fear to tread, these furious and heavily augmented murder machines are a sci-fi reimagining of [[Slayer]]s from WHFB. These frontline fighters originally began as Kin who enhanced the physical capabilities of their cloneskeins with cybernetic upgrades and cyberstimms, all the better to extract precious minerals from rad-plagued nebulae, explosive asteroids, and fathomless ocean depths. Now tasked with dealing with their people’s enemies they charge into battle with modified advanced mining gear like heavy plasma axes, concussion mauls, and power fists all while wearing little or no armor besides that which their cyborg augmentations provides. They also have mole mortars/ grenade launchers (for mining purposes of course).

*'''Hearthkyn Warriors:''' Because replacing i's with y's is so sci-fi and trademark friendly. The [[Squat Trooper|Hearthkyn]] are essentially identical in terms of origin as the [[Guardian|Guardian Defenders]] of the eldar, in that they are the core infantry force of the Leagues' military that were conscripted from their civilian populations. However, rather than being a militia roused during times of conflict, the Hearthkyn are instead closer to real-world militaries, in that the soldiery serve for an extended period of time before going home to their civilian professions. Serving in the Hearthkyn, anyone can enlist: male, female, flesh or metal, as Kin are Kin, after all. The units themselves are equipped with all manner of hullabaloo Squat guns depending on their specialization, on the lighter end there are the Autoch-pattern bolters used for assault and laying down covering/saturation fire, there are also bolt shotguns, and bolt revolvers. On the heavier side there are volkanite disintegrators, ion blasters (whose technology the Kin apparently gave to the Tau much to the Imperium’s ire) and HYLas auto-rifles all of which are used to sunder the defences of heavily-armoured opponents. Finally there’s also specialized heavy weapons such as L7 missile launchers, EtaCarn plasma beamers, Graviton blast cannons, and magna-rail rifles. All these ranged weapons are supported by smart tech integrated into Kin battlegear. The haptic utility nerve transmission recalibrator modules – HunTR for short – interface with their neural augmetics to establish a feedback loop between firearms and their users. This system projects minute gravitational pulses to maintain a stable firing platform even while running at full pelt – or zooming along on a flying trike. For close combat they got plasma blades, plasma axes, and concussion weapons like gauntlets, hammers, and mauls that amplifies the kinetic energy behind a Kin’s strike enough to launch an Ork boy into the air. As for protection they wear their own brand of power armor called Void armour comprised of hardened jointed segments which are hooked into a void suit beneath. The suit is fashioned from magnaferrite weave, and often reinforced with adamantine and enhanced with microfield generators for a level of protection that any Imperial Guardsman would give their left gonad to have!
**'''Theyn:''' Sci-fi spelling for the old Anglo-Saxon Thegns/Thanes (Fantasy Dwarfs had Thanes as heroes, so another connection there). They are experienced warriors that serve as [[Squat Thunderers|squad leaders]] in Hearthkyn and Einhyr Warrior squads of 10 to 20 warriors and are able to arm themselves with a variety of hand-to-hand combat weapons, including brutal concussion gauntlets, plasma blades, and vicious plasma axes in addition to high quality ranged weapons. Theyns communicate with their squad with the aid of cybernetic implants – relaying strategic instructions from the commanders of the Oathband to their units, and can be differentiated from the other kin by the fancy animal headed crest mounted on the back of their armor.

*'''Einhyr [[Hearthguard]]:''' Named after the Einherjar of Valhalla, they are the newly-christened [[Hearthguard]] Terminators of old, being the honored warriors selected from a Kinhold's most accomplished fighters, clad in [[Exo-Armour]]. They're armed with a shoulder mounted grenade launcher, a hand-held Volkanite Disintegrator, and either a power first with a retractable plasma blade or a Thunder Hammer. Like regular Hearthkyn Void armor the Exo-armor also has the HunTR system of micro gravity field generators built in to help keep their aim steady allowing them to fire on the move.

*'''Einhyr Champion:''' Those who climb the ranks of the Einhyr that eventually became Champions. These warriors are clad in modified exo-armour fitted with mass-drivers for jump purposes and armed with vicious close combat weapons. They function as living battering rams, pulverising anything that gets in their way.

*'''[[Hekaton Land Fortress]]:''' A HECKA CHUNKY Heavy support tank that can double as a defensive emplacement. Packs overwhelming firepower onto a rugged frame, and can lug around a hefty 12 models. It can go toe-to-toe with some of the biggest and best battle tanks in the 41st Millennium thanks to its durable void armour. And it can be equipped with a variety of hefty weapons and devastating warheads – from the very nasty heavy magna-rail cannon to the SP heavy conversion beamer and a missile launcher apparently.

*'''Hernkyn Pioneer:''' THE [[Squat Trike|TRIKES]] RETURN! [[Skub|AS HOVERTRIKES!]] And with a [[-4 Str|female]] driver. It looks like a spider-tank tachikoma from Ghost in the Shell fucked a [[Squat Bike|Harley]] and their baby came out a hoverbike. Hernkyn Pioneers are ridden by independently minded Kin who serve as scouts and outriders for the Kinhosts. They exchange the heavier armor of the Hyrthkin for lighter void suits backed up by armored trench coats, an old style pilot’s cap, and when necessary a gas or oxygen mask. Before you make the mistake of thinking they’re outlaw bikers though it should be noted that they are not seen like that at all amongst their own people. Rather in eyes of the Kin the Pioneers willingness to go off alone is considered courageous and selfless as they are putting their own lives at risk for the sake of their families, in effect making them the equivalent of the WFB Dwarf rangers. Anyway, to ensure they can keep riding for as long as possible the Pioneers make sure to carry any all equipment they might conceivably need with them at all times, from bedrolls to digging tools strapped to their rides. To aid them in scouting their trikes come equipped with multiwave comms arrays and pan-spectral scanners which are all quite useful for picking up strategically important data. Weapons-wise the riders can be armed with a bolt pistol, or a bolt shotgun, and a plasma blade for a backup, while the Trike itself was equipped with a magna-coil autocannon mounted on the front. In addition if the rider is willing to take along a passenger then it’s possible to mount another heavy weapon on the back of the vehicle like a rotary Hy-Las (high yield laser) cannon or whatever else might be needed. These weapons are linked to the driver and passenger’s implants via the HunTR system so they can fire on the move.

*'''[[Sagitaur ATV]]:''' A six wheeled infantry fighting vehicle, that takes its name from the centaur shaped constellation Sagittarius, the Sagitaur is used for surveying inhospitable alien terrain. The Sagitaur is a rapid-response ATV suited to scouting operations and lightning-fast armoured offensives alongside Hernkyn Pioneers. Its armoured carapace is durable enough to shrug off everything from rockslides to plasma blasts. Sagitaurs usually operate in pairs and are remarkably heavily-armed for their size, with a nose-mounted twin bolt cannon complemented by a swivelling turret weapon, such as a HYLas beam cannon, L7 missile launcher, or MATR autocannon. Once they’re right up in the enemy’s lines they will disgorge their troops, in the form of a full squad of infantry which can be split between the two vehicles, who can then go on to seize vital objectives.

*'''[[Ironhead Squat Prospectors]]:''' An offshoot of the Kin lacking a Votann ancestor core that set up shop on [[Necromunda]] right after the Horus Heresy, and are busy doing dwarrowesque things, while also dealing with the locals that sometimes try to loot their stuff. While they're only distantly related to the Leagues with no direct affiliation, they're said to get along. There is a small but not high chance the'll be options on the table top as well since Kill team has a precedent for a small unit from one box being an option like the sister novitiate, at the very least make a good proxy/conversion.

*'''[[Cargo-8 Ridgehauler]]:''' the Squat land trains return! Well they have on Necromunda at least. These huge transport trucks with multiple trailers and strapped on weaponry are used by Squat prospectors and regular human folk to cross the ash wasteland and protect valuable shipments. They aren’t quite up to the standard of the old land trains but at least it’s something.

*'''[[Demiurg]]:''' Largely here because of non-direct confirmation, but WarCom confirmed that the Tau received their ion weapon technology from the Kin, whereas in Battlefleet Gothic they claim that it was from the Demiurg, ''another'' race of dwarf space-miners. Logically, the term "Demiurg" may just be what the Tau call the Kin, or the Demiurg may be another offshoot culture of the wider kin race like prospectors above. After all, their clone-skin’s capability in stressing divergent phenotypes means visibly different strains could possible (like different breeds of dogs or cats). Or they could be just a League like the Seran-Tok Mercantile Leagues that decided to throw in their lot with the upstart T'au Empire rather than being in the bottom of the Imperium's to-do list.
==See Also==
*[[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Leagues of Votann(9E)]]
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:VotannTrike.jpg|They see me dworfin, they hatin', Patrollin', and tryna catch me ridin' dirty.
File:CNiuMZPWWNpatQNt (1).jpg|dorfy thicc dorfy brick
File: FW1NodbWYAA-Gzh.jpg|‘[[StarCraft|Ye want a piece a' me, lad??]]’
File:Sagitaur ATV.jpg| Sagitaur ATV, the perfect vehicle for dropping off some Hearthkyn at the pub for some brewskies on a moons surface.
File:LeagueHold.jpg|One of the many holds in the Leagues, in all it's industrial might
File:Ironkin.jpg|A humble Ironkin, ready to serve for their civilization
File:Getbackintheironkinchen.png|"[[Weeb|UWU.exe]]: I wonder if [[Adeptus Mechanicus|our new friends]] will enjoy these muffins I baked for them? I should head over and see what they're up to!"
File:CthonianBerserks.png|Just another day of cyberstimms and Cyberpsychosis...
File:Wrathoftheancestors.jpg| [[Primaris Captain|Where have I seen that before?]] [https://1d4chan.org/wiki/File:Captain1.jpg Oh.]
File:Kâhl.jpg|Pictured: The '''real''' Space Vikings.
File:Gangoftrikes.jpg
File:VotannPioneer.jpg.webp
File:Leaguemining.jpg|It ain't no trick to get rich quick If you dig dig dig with a shovel or a pick
File:Leagueanvil.jpg
File:Thunderkyn.jpg
File:LOV Army Shot.png
File:Votann Grimnyr.jpg|Finally, the [[Space Wolves|fucking furries]] don't have the monopoly on sweet beards
</gallery>

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]
[[Category:Dwarves]]
[[Category:Squats]]
[[Category:Abhumans]]
[[Category:Governments & National Powers]]
[[Category:Under Development]]

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{{WH40k-Factions}}
{{40k-Governments}}

Leagues of Votann

2022-09-04T17:00:21Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:6D3E:5735:CBBE:C0F8: /* Known Leagues */

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[[File:Votann meeting.jpg|400px|thumb|right|[[Star Wars|200,000 clones are ready with a million more well on the way.]]]]

{{topquote|Right after Mankind’s colonization of the galaxy came its first true golden age. Reared by machine prophets, the survivors of the Oedipal plagues built civilizations that equaled and even surpassed their Solar forbears.| CM Koseman, ''All Tomorrow's''}}

{{topquote|Better a soulless clone... than a souled roach.|David Mitchell, ''Cloud Atlas''}}

{{topquote|Bite my shiny metal ass!|Bender, ''Futurama''}}

The '''Leagues of Votann''' (also known as the [[Squats|Unsquatted Squats]]) is a [[retcon|""new""]] faction in the [[Warhammer 40,000]] universe. They are gatherings of short abhuman clones called the Kin (more commonly known as Squats by the dirty Necromunda gangers), bound together by the [[Votann]], super-cogitators from the [[Dark Age of Technology]]. Each League has its own Votann, and are organized in strongholds around it. [[Powergamer|They used the data stored to survive among the stars and maintain their culture across generations]]. Of course, since some [[Adeptus Mechanicus|factions]] are touchy about AI, the Leagues are very cautious when dealing with [[Imperium of Man|its closest ally]], hence their secretive lifestyle.

However, because of the [[grimdark|setting]], everything is not that simple. Since Windows is not regularly updated anymore and issues that have arisen from having remained active for literal millennia, the Votann began to deteriorate. If they want to repair their computer, <s>[[Dwarf Fortress|they must wage war with other shitcoin miners for more processing power]]</s>, the Kin have to once more brave a galaxy full of danger.

==History==
Even the oldest living Kin don’t remember what their earliest days were like, though some undeniable “First Truths” remain constant in the Votanns’ data tracks. One such truth is that the First Ancestors departed from ancient Terra prior to the Unification Wars to harvest the untold riches of the galaxy with the first holds being settled near the galactic core. What became of these Ancestors is unknown, but curiously when the Ancestors begun to fade away…the Votann are first mentioned.

A second First Truth is that the Kin have always been a cloned people. The Ancestors used genetic systems called “cloneskeins” to manipulate and modify their race’s molecular structure, and continue to define their overall division of labor. Over time the Kin became squatter, denser, and stronger than an average human growing no more than five feet tall max. They’ve even been able to artificially neuter their [[psyker|psychic]] footprint to avoid the attention of [[Chaos]], in a not too dissimilar to how the [[Tau]] souls work. Other examples of this engineering can be seen in the Hearthkyn Warriors, who often are also engineered with particular cloneskeins that allow them to specialise in combat – heightened senses, improved stamina, and the ability to see better in the dark, to name but a few. In contrast, others augment their bodies for battle with mechanical limbs and synthetic organs, with members of the powerful Cthonian Mining Guilds being noted as extensive users of these body modifications. This is not that unexpected as that particular guild (which is noted as being a particularly extreme embodiment of the usual belligerent acquisitiveness of the Kin) is willing to fearlessly locate, secure, and harvest resources for their race from environments so dangerous that even other Kin would baulk at their hazards leading to a need for extensive augmentation on their part. Because of all the above, some fans are now speculating that GW is tying the [[Men of Stone]] thread to the modern Squat civilization (either to the Squats themselves or to the Votann) given the [[Men of Gold]] and [[Men of Iron]] have already been speculated to be [[Perpetual]]s and [[Machine Spirit|abominable intelligence]]. With the reveal of the “Iron Kin,” their fully-mechanical and true AI robot social class, who were designed with a prerogative to help their meaty cousins, this theory of the Kin being the Men of Stone could bear all the more weight.

At some point during the reconstruction after the Horus Heresy, the ancestors of the Ironhead Squats arrived from the Leagues to help with rebuilding efforts on Necromunda. However they somehow lost their Votann ancestor core in the process and so they ended up having to stay on the world long after the rebuilding was done so they could try and track it down, a search which still continues to this day and has resulted in them regressing technologically in the mean time.

With the formation of the Great Rift, the Leagues had lost a few holds and trade routes, pressuring them into expanding and gaining new trade routes, endorsing new colonization efforts, and slowly withdrawing from their semi isolated state.

==Culture==
{{topquote|So, we're talking about space dwarfs who need more RAM for their gods?|Anon}}

In the modern day of the 41st Millennium, the culture of the Kin seems, according to the drip feed from WarCom, very egalitarian, with no distinction between male, female, machine or otherwise amongst its members. [[Greater Good|United in the guidance of the Votann, the Leagues of the Kin operate with seeming unity, with the Kin working in unison for the betterment of their Kindreds, or so it would appear to outsiders.]] The truth however is a little more complicated than that though.

The Leagues are semi unified conglomerates of "family states" (a cross between nation states and extended family) called Kindreds, guilds, Freelancers, and kinhost armies. While the Leagues are very communal and chummy with their fellow kin, this does not stop the dark influences of a past long gone from seeping into their civilizations.

Entire planets and even systems with ecosystems and civilizations stripped to the bone, regardless of the ethics. global magna extraction and tectonic delving allows the Kin to harvest whole world, populated or not. Evacuation may be offered, but not always. Ferocious competition between Guilds and freelancers, who have taken on the mantle from dark age corporations, merc groups, independent contractors, and cartels and follow the philosophy of "When someone has what you want, why not take it. While the Kin do live to serve their fellow kin, their societies, and their ancestors, they are also filled to the brim with societal wide greed and hunger. As individuals, they may or may not have such hungers, but as communities they will devour entire worlds. Not even the universe itself will be enough for their wants.

This does not mean they are the type to cut corners. Far from it. Like their many Dwarven counter parts in other media, one of the things they appreciate is fine ass Craftmanship. No planned obsolescence, shoddy piss water, and easy to break communicators here. Only the best in quality is acceptable (or at least, the best they can make). And this is not even such a difficult feat for them. High quality mass produced goods is the norm for League society, with their high technology and industrial society. Many of their holds are even live in factories, constantly churning out master crafted items at a constant pace. The Leagues overall conduct resource extraction, industry. and technology developments on a vastly larger scale, making the Imperium look puny in their developments by comparison. And unlike the imperium, they dont dig for the ore required, wasting time and lives. the Kin instead sees that whatever asteroid or world they are working on can just be torn apart, and the remnants plucked out the wreckage

But despite all their comforts and conveniences, they are still a hardy people who revere their ancestors and promote the importance of sacrifice.

==Technology==
Let's not beat around the bush here, their stuff is straight up better than the Imperium's. While they didn't retain everything after the collapse of the golden age of Man, they retained far more than their Imperial counterparts, to the point where they can at least echo DAoT society and its tech. While much of the Leagues tech is reminiscent of the Imperium's, it's is LEAGUES better than what they have.

They can edit their souls. They can make stable mutations and psykers. Their guns hit harder and faster, and even their basic infantry can prove to be trouble for your average space marine. Agri-worlds? Why grow your food using outdated primitive farming methods when you can grow, and make your foodstuffs in your factories, labs, and indoor facilities. Cybernetic implants and genetic modification is the norm, and advanced helper AI citizens walk the streets as equals. They have advanced ion weaponry, something that terrified the shit out of the Imperium to the point where they just straight up banned it. And unlike the unstable, insecure, filthy, and crime-infested hive worlds with their hive cities, Holds could be considered closer to actual fortified arcologies than the hive cities ever were. They also make use of exotic materials (Much of the kins weapons contain exotic material not found outside the galactic core) like Dark star ore, which is extremely dangerous to life, as just a single cut can cause death as the universal dampening field the material emits can halt all mechanical and organic functions. Because of the dangers, the material is mined and shaped with exceptional care, and is only wielded by those who could be trusted with such a equally dangerous and tactically valuable weapon. They have almost flawless teleportation technology, so kin can be deployed without significant risk. It can even be used tactically. Another one of amazing devices are pan spectular scanners, which allow the Kin to find a enemy’s location, not only through walls and objects, but also through the warp. They also have stellar siphons that drain the stars themselves as the cithonic mining guilds take whatever resources they need, and even the most terrifying of galactic phenomena are reaped through atom delving and transotheric resubstantiation. The Kins warp drives and Gellar field are superior to the Imperium’s, making travel safer and more reliable. Thanks to said superior shielding tech, shielding developments are also prevalent in the physical realm, with weave field generators employing a technique where different energy fields overlap and interlock over a range of frequencies and exotic energies. Weave field generators are compact and efficient, and can be use as personal shields and can even be projected onto entire areas, which is useful for mining. They can scout for minerals and space hulks while in the warp. They have plasma blades made entirely of plasma, and their cores act like mini Astronomicans because they are so big brained, they shine in the warp. Many of their weapons are augmented with HunTR modules, which connects to the Kins neural implants, and help bring the best possible firing solution that can be achieved. Their Brôkhyr have mastered the manufacturing of Focusing lenses and other components necessary to produce a sustained stream of energy, leading
to focused beam technology that can be used on and off the battlefield, such as their mining and excavation industries. Much of the kins weapons contain exotic material not found outside the galactic core. And like their more peaceful interex counterparts, their ships are FUCK HUGE, to the point where they dwarf even the largest of the Imperium's interstellar vessels. They can even move entire planets. Their Volkanite weapons have remained the same, with few alterations, but the fact that they can still make them commonly puts them way above the imperium. Like it was said earlier, strictly better.

Unfortunately for them, much of the tech they didn't retain was the top of the line tech, things like the Votanns. Due to this, while they can emulate most of past pinnacle human civilization, their development and research has slowed down to a crawl thanks to their big moai heads also slowing down (which does the work not many in the galaxy could ever do, thanks to their smarts). Until this is fixed (if it ever will be), they are stuck behind the Eldar and the Necrons technologically. But hey, at least they aren't on the Imperium’s level of decay.

==Aspects of League society==
*'''Leagues:''' Conglomerates of family states united for better economic and defensive potential. Competitive, but not to the point of self destruction and to the point where it gets in the way of productivity. Looks down on the Imperium. Hates the eldar because they are entitled bastards who are bad for business. Some are business partners with the Tau and gives them ion guns and other goodies. Loves their Votanns to point of self sacrifice. Their numbers greatly outnumber the populations of the upstart tau and the dwindling eldari, yet their population is still far fewer than the imperium obviously (they are still described as having formidable and vast interstellar empires however). Loves their Galactic core due to its crazy amounts of wealth and minerals, and it being quite inhospitable to the other races (which they were <ref><nowiki>Insert non-formatted text here</nowiki></ref>made to live in). There is no exact number of known Leagues, the Kin find no use in keep track of it. Can often be in nomadic (living in spacefaring holds). Currently trying to fix up their broken trade routes after the Great Rift appeared.
*'''First Ancestors:''' The DAOT colonists (engineers, miners, etc) who journeyed to the galactic mineral-rich core in generation ships as part of a large colonization effort. Not much else is know about them besides the fact they disappeared when the Votann first appeared...

*'''[[Votann]]s:''' super-cogitators, which contain Gestalt repositories of unimaginable inherited wisdom and knowledge, along with [[Spirit stone|Ancestor Cores]] with their self-organizing datastacks and quantum infocores. All members of the Leagues after they pass on returned and recycled to the ancestor cores in somber ceremonies, both mind and body. Even the ironkin are not immune to this fate, as while they are long lived, they will eventually slow down to a crawl and breakdown. The minds and uploaded data are kept in the votann, while the bodies are recycled to make new kin. They are currently breaking down and developing [[Machine Spirit|"personalities"]], with calculations that normally took hours taking decades, if not centuries to complete. However they can still be modified by the kin (often at the votanns request). Curiously, they also serve another purpose as acting as mini [[Astronomican|Astronomicans]] for the Leagues, due to their vast intellect literally shining in the warp. Has been stated that the "Votann belong to the Kin as Kin belong to the Votann". Often act more like advisors and repositories (none of them have been leaders). Due to their degradation and age, some of the Votann have even lost the ability to produce more kin (Brokhyrs and Ironkin Guilds can produce more ironkin, but they are of lower quality than what the ancestors create). The ancestor cores have been stated to have been on the first generation ships.

*League Leadership tends to be broken down as follows:
**'''Votannic Council:''' A League’s ultimate ruling body presumably second only to the Votann themselves. Stubborn, and are slow to change their minds or come to decisions. Elections in the Leagues generally are extremely heated. Needed for full on wars (local conflicts excluded).
**'''Guild Masters:''' Guild Leaders who have worked their way up through the Leagues meritocracy. Note that there can be multiple guild masters on the council.
**'''Brôkhyr Forge-Master:''' The absolute cream of the crop from the forges of the Leagues, they not only have proved their ability to create technological marvels,but over see their development as well. They also bring the fury of the Forge to the battlefield, delivering council to the warriors on the field as well.
**'''Lord Grimnyr:''' The ultimate representative of the Grimnyr, who embodies wisdom, guidance, and insight. The Lord Grimnyr acts as the voice of the Votann itself, acting as a walking conduit for both their lore and gestalt might. This role is not purely a ceromonial or advisory role, for it is incumbent upon the Lord Grimnyr to walk the battlefield as the eyes, ears, and voice of the Votann, dispensing wisdom to friends and allies, and unleashing the wrath of the Ancestors. It is not known how they are selected for the position.
**'''Grimnyr:''' Kin psykers that wield massive amounts of power. Capable of accessing "empyrically archived" Votann wisdom. They are probably deeply tied to the Votanns and represent them in their wing of the Leagues governments. <s>Probably</s> Definitely have very long beards.
**'''High Kâhl:''' The ultimate military commanders of the kinhost militaries. To be named High Kâhl is both a tremendous honour and a awesome responsibility. To be elected a High Kâhl, the incumbent must go beyond just a tremendously capable warriors ,and a indomitable battlefield leader. They must master the cruel calculus of war itself.
**'''Kinhost commanders/senior Officers:''' The military leaders of the Kinhost militaries that rank below the High Kâhl.
*'''Kindreds:''' A combination between nation state and extended family, essentially the societies that make up the Leagues. Generally lives in holds (although it's population is encouraged to go travel throughout the galaxy and make their ancestors proud). They are very communal in nature, and their populations range from a couple dozen to the millions. Each one is governed by a Votannic council. They have their own aspects which are called the Four Pillars:
# Hearth: “the heart of the hold,” literally the heat and light their forges, recycle air, and let the kin thrive
# Forge: Here everything the Kindred needs is built, from weapons to life-support systems
# Thane: Where the Grimnyr interface with the Ancestor Cores
# Crucible: Where new flesh and blood Kin are made

*'''Kinhosts:''' The militaries/militias of the Leagues, made after the kindreds united and combined their militaries. Soldiers are typically drawn from the civilian populous, but are not restricted to kinhosts only, as depending on their decision (after they completed their oath of service to their Kâhl), the soldier may return to civilian life after they have done their service. Objectives range from protecting colonization efforts, protecting resources extraction operations and other guild/kindred interests, and overall defense to annihilating entire worlds because they know too much. Has a slightly overall civilian look to them (but are still more deadly than Imperial forces). The forces within the kinhosts militaries (called oathbands), are extremely flexible on what they consist of. Some of these oathbands can even consist entirely of mercenaries.

*'''Guilds:''' The overall backbone of the Leagues. Independent commercial groups. Builds holds and everything else. Regulates and manages almost everything, and oversees fair competition( but are not necessarily overbearing). Does not like cutting corners. Very competitive and ruthless in general. Is unofficially apart of the government. Typically doesn't leave their own holds. Does not like Freelancers and outcasts (and the occasional rival guild). Every aspect of life and production is affected by the guilds. Clonskin guilds exist and work to improve upon and stabilize cloneskins. Ironkin Guilds exist as well.

*'''Freelancers:''' Independent contractors, mercenaries, traders, explorers, plumbers, etc. Does the same thing as the guilds except with less political influence and resources. Not too fond of guilds

*'''Holds:''' The homes of the Leagues and its organizations and populous. Typically enclosed and fortified, holds vary in type and size. Can range from underground tunnels and narrows, to fortified bunkers and live in factories, to hive cities and ecumenopolises. Also comes in the form of space stations, asteroid colonies, and ships. Industrial and high tech in nature, yet very cozy with a lot of empasis on community, closeness, and interaction. Essentially hive cities except not shit and on steroids. Contains "Hearths", which act as the hearts of the holds, providing heat, light, and recycled air, and overall let the kin thrive. Hearths also act as reactors for the Kins holds, powering up all their electrical needs.

*'''Kin in general/clonekin:''' The general population of the Leagues. Mainly consists of ironkin and clonekin (although, there could be more). Tough as nails, and artificial in nature. Comes from "crucibles" (which they prefer due to regular reproduction diluting the genetic quality of offspring. Generally enhanced by both biological and cybernetic means. Very intelligent and industrious. Loves their ancestors to death. Loves their Kin and kindreds. Loves making their master crafts. Loves living in their fortified holds (but will go out into the galaxy to serve the ancestors, their guilds, and their communities). They get to pick their own names (excluding their family names, which they get from the names the crucibles has attached to it, and its considered rude to change), and gain more throughout their life from fellow kin like "Orkslayer". Loves their individuality and mutations (although some cloneskin templates and mutations can actually lower the lifespan of a clonkin, along with clonekins who had their production accelerated). Far from uncommon for them to get plenty of physical alterations. They were also made to resist and endure the warp and its corruptions, dampening their souls (note: they are masking their souls brightness, not actually dimming down their souls) for better protection. They also have high amouns of white blood cells, which allows them to greatly resist disease, and heal swiftly. Some can see in infrared.

*'''Ironkin:''' The League have [[Men of Iron]] now, or at least true AIs. Appears to be comparable to a Servitor, although distinctly described as being treated as equal to the fleshy Kin. The Ironkin can mimic their living counterparts’ every behavior and demeanor, but display no sense of ambition and are hard-wired with a desire to be helpful. Their bodies are all built for a unique purpose and cannot be easily replaced should they be damaged. One such purpose are the Wayfinders, which are the supercomputer, squatty equivalent of Imperial [[navigator|navigators]], allowing the Kin to traverse the Warp without the need of psykers, and thus reduce the threat of daemonic incursions. All ironkin have a CU, or Cerebral Unit, and a mechanical body, both of which are unique to each individual ironkin. The CU's themselves are nigh indestructible (with microfield generators woven into the structure of the unit), and can send out distress beacons. Since Kin are kin, these are high priority for recovery.

*'''COGs:''' Are essentially the lower forms of ai, automatons, and algorithms the Leagues possess. Akin to tau drones (yet still more advanced). Does much of the menial jobs and such in the Leagues, along with being utilized in combat as well, and overall helps automate the Leagues of Votann. Probably still treated better than servitors (especially considering they look like ironkin).

*'''Outcasts:''' Hippies, troublemakers, and those Kin who do shit like performing illegal experiments, probably.

==Known Leagues==
*'''Urani-Surtr Regulates:''' A determined League constantly being invaded, they will fight to the last person standing. Their kin live on the minimum and are currently at war with a necron world (and the necron sunnok dynasty). Are stoic, pragmatic, and abhor waste like most other Leagues, though they are noted for being less concerned with the cost of lives and material for battle to prevent giving up ground. Likes to keep their population counts high for their oathbands. No kin admitted to the Urani-Surtr Regulates has ever left.
*'''Greater Thurian League:''' The probable poster boy League. Has a teal color scheme. Largest of the Leagues, spreading over a wide expanse of the galactic core. Includes over 200 allied kindred, and it contains the biggest guild. Very wealthy and expansionist, they have a lot of military might and resources at their disposal and they want to expand their reach. Their members think they epitomize what it means to be Kin. Are uncompromising with their mercenary attitude. Apparently, their grim, methodical pragmatism is an inspiration to other Leagues.
*'''Trans-Hyperion Alliance:''' The most puritanical in their worship of the Ancestors. Sacrifice has more importance to them than the other leagues. They enjoy collecting data and new info for their Votanns. They are a nomadic league, spread out not only across the galactic core but beyond, into far space. with prospects venturing the width and breath of the galaxy. This lifestyle is driven by the requirement to enrich their Votanns, which for the Trans-Hyperion Alliance is a reward of itself.
*'''Kronus Hegenomy:''' Its the most militaristic and aggressive league (to the point of being aggressive other leagues). Recently formed less than millennium ago. [[Awesome|Ork Waaaghs, Imperial crusades and many other threats have been broken by the mighty kinhost of the Kronus hegemony]]. It's the newest League with a harsh reputation, due to their strictness and quotas. Their Votann has achieved self-awareness and has been demanding the Hegemony to always gather resources; Kindreds that join have to pay a hefty price to join and then have to pay hefty tributes through conquest. They also already pissed off the other Leagues in territorial disputes. Despite their reputation, are still seen as a boon for the other Leagues due to their defensive capabilities.
*'''Ymyr Conglomerate:''' A massive and ancient power bloc. Has a red color scheme. Few value quality craftsmanship more than the Ymyr conglomerate. They have long ventured beyond the core trading and operating all over the galaxy. They are the richest League, having the best living standards to boot. Even for the other Leagues, they appear decedent. They also have a higher amount of high-quality weaponry and equipment for their kinhosts.
*'''Seran-Tok Mercantile Leagues:''' Has risen to prominence and profited greatly from trade with the T’au Empire. Probably the Demiurg.
*'''Grand Orion Compact:''' Their Votann was destroyed by Orks.
*'''Emberg Agnir Bloc:''' Destroyed by Tyranids. Their Votann absorbed their biomass to deny the Tyranids their prize as revenge, which drove the Votann mad, turning it into "The Mad Core".

==Known Kindreds/Holds==

==Known Guilds==

==Noteworthy Kin==
*'''Ûthar the Destined:''' A great Kahl from the Greater Thurian League that has a mysterious objective and destiny, prophesied to complete a great task. He’s a ruthless warrior armed with masterfully wrought weapons, including the legendary Blade of the Ancestors, and has a gift for assessing enemy foes.

==Relationship/interactions with other factions==
'''Galactic relations in general:''' The Kin will leave most of the denizens in the galaxy alone, so long as they aren't getting in-between what the Kin want. The Leagues of Votann trade outside the core through a range of names, though these are rarely of their choosing this has caused confusion and misunderstanding over who these mercenary adventurers really are. To those who are in their way however (unwillingly or not), the Kin are a tough nut to crack. Even far from the more secure area that is the galactic core, the Kin are a armoured, fortified, bunkered down, advanced, and tactical juggernaut. More often than not, the Kin succeed in their conflicts, and even the more major players of the galaxy find them difficult. On occasion, a resistant population may be deemed too strong for any conflict to be worthwhile, but most of the time any resistance will be swept aside or ignored. he Kin have no compunctions about tearing open the crust of a world whilst the population still dwells upon it, however sometimes a evacuation can be negotiated. To those on the kins good side, they are invaluable business parts. To those on their bad side, they are a force of ruthlessness and greed.

'''Ironhead Squat Prospectors:''' See each other as distant cousins who can share a pint in the pub and complain about the aeldari.

'''Tyranids:''' Tyranid invasions have caused an incalculable amount of damage to the Kin. Their hive fleets are given a grudging respect for their effectiveness, but the Kin have no pause in hunting them down should they stand in between them and their prize. The tyranids consider the Kin to be another source of biomass and will descend upon their worlds like any other, such was the case with the Northstar cluster, where the bioforms exhibited a odd nesting behavior not seen elsewhere. They have proven difficult to eradicate, and have brought devastation to the Urani-Surtr Regulates. The Kin see the danger of the Tyranids, following the destruction of the Emberg Agnir Bloc. It was made up of a few dozen kindred and found themselves in the path of hive fleet Leviathan. The League was wiped out. The Votann was left untouched. It absorbed the bodies of its fallen Kin to deny the Tyranids the biomass, and was driven mad, becoming the mad core, and causing fluctuations in the warp that disrupt travel

'''Tau:''' They view the Leagues as grand benefactors and business partners of the Greater Good and the Tau Empire - although they could certainly improve their view points and dedication to the cause. They are also really happy with their new technology they received from the Demiurg/Leagues, with their ion technology being extremely popular among the Tau's forces. The Leagues see the Tau as as a very naive and young people, though they appreciate the value of the greater good as it shares similarities with their own philosophy, putting Kin first. The tau are more than happy to pay the Leagues, though the Kin rarely share their more advanced developments. As an example, the Kins ion tech is superior and far more compact than the Tau's. Thanks to the extreme naivety of the tau, the tau actually think the few ships they see from the Leagues are all that is left of the Kin, following a invasion from the Tyranids. These rumors have been rebuffed by the kin, much to the confusion of the Tau. The Kin see no value in enlightening them in this regard so long as the can continue to profit from trade with the naive civilization. With the advances of the empire in the Chalnath expanse, there have been some clashes with the various factions of the Kin, which may have soured some local relations

'''The Imperium of Man:''' View the Leagues as useful and good enough for trade, yet they're also sketchy abhumans who stray too far from the holy human form and are probably heretics. On the world of Necromunda at least, they are looked down upon as Squats despite all they've done for the world. Likewise, the Leagues view the Imperium as a bunch of disappointing dumbfuck competitors - although they're still good enough for trade. Will surprisingly be honest about their usage of AI if pressed on it (which of course pisses the Imperium off). On some Imperial worlds like Necromunda, the Kin have been there since their Imperial records started. Rogue traders are more than happy to deal with the Leagues, though their extravagant life styles are considered wasteful by the kin, and deals are made with desperate governors of Imperial worlds, for a suitable fee. The more zealous of the Imperium deem the Kin as xenos. And at one point, the Demiurg had a automated mining facility that was infiltrated by the alpha legion. Overall, the Kin treat them as any other species.

'''Aeldari:''' [[Elf|Guess]]. They like to keep their meetings brief and few.

'''Dark Aeldari:''' [[Dwarf Fortress|Guess again]].

'''Harlequin:''' Weird creepy clowns that are to be avoided.

'''Aeldari Exodites:''' [[Avatar|Guess thrice]]. Although, the Kin actually do respect them for their more practical nature. Still more than happy to invade for resources though.

'''Necrons:''' The Necrons consider the Kin to be another upstart race, though with a level of trepidation. Not only are they considered remarkably dangerous foes to fight, the Kin also delve deep into their worlds, breaking into tomb complexes, and plundering the rich harvest within. To the Kin, the metallic aliens are easy pickings while they sleep, and vicious foes when roused. Typically shoot on sight levels of diplomacy. They already war with the Urani-Surtr Regulates for control over one of its main worlds. The involved Necrons is the Sunnok dynasty.

'''Orks:''' The Orks are the Leagues most hated Foe, as not only are they pervasive, they are also endlessly wasteful, fighting and destroying what the Kin have built, and The Leagues have been as successful as every other civilization in eradicating the Orks. The Orks are not stopped by the dangers of the core regions, and Ork pirate raids are a particular concern, with Orks like bog da freedin king and his numerous fleets pestering the Leagues. The Orks tendency to use whatever scrap they can get has led to the creation of the saying "a prize for a Ork" , used to describe things or ideas that are worthless to the Kin. The 500 years war was fought against WAAAGH Morbok after they overran the Grand Orion Compact's Hold of oriax iron gate kindred. The Votann in the hold was torn to pieces, the most widespread grudge in the history of the Kin was called, and the Compact spent the next five centuries hunting down every single Ork from WAAAGH Morbok.

'''Chaos:''' They find the Leagues to be a major pain in the ass as they actually have at least some idea on how to deal with chaos unlike their Imperial counterparts. They dimmed their souls, use soulless A.I. to pilot through the warp, have top notch security, and live high quality and comfortable lives in their holds. They see little to even no chaos corruption in the Leagues and will probably see more losses than wins with them. The Kin of course are absolutely disgusted by them, and have little time for their gruesome and foolish activities

'''The Adeptus Mechanicus:''' A series of mental breakdowns and cybernetic overloads occurs when Mechanicus members encounter the Leagues. Whether it's due to them seeing Heresy in the Leagues, or due to the many shinies the Leagues have, it doesn't matter. They will see the Leagues as major competition regardless of the reason, and move to claim the shinies for themselves. To the Leagues, the Adeptus Mechanicus are rats scurrying around a scrap heap. Superstitious tech cultists living on the successes of their ancient betters who's ignorance makes them dangerous. The Kin avoid them whenever possible, and are swift to eradicate them when needed.

==Speculation/Theories==
A bit of speculation around the Votann is if anything else in the setting will be retconned into/explained as being one. The most obvious candidate is the [[House Van Saar]] STC, described as being "large building" sized and "damaged" in that its spewing out radiation, similar to the disrepair some Votann are said to be in albeit more extreme, and if it was a Votann it would explain why Squats are on Necromunda.

The Votann are fueled by alcohol.

==Influences/Mythology/Aesthetic/Complaints==
*'''The greater rage:''' The 2001 release of the [[Tau]] was spurred with anger, confusion, and revulsion. Even to this day in the year 2022, you'll still see swathes of the community that seethe at the mere mention of the Tau, deeming them as "weaboo space communists who aren't grimdark enough", or simply "another vile xeno who is irrelevant". And like it's predecessor, The LoV is reaching similar levels of division and anger. But much like the decade that it was revealed in, the Leagues bring in a new scale of chaotic and unprecedented changes. This section is to help boil this down, and address complaints and confusion.

*'''The LoV and twentieth century futurism:''' There have been quite a few who have claimed that the LoV is "generic sci fi" and "inconsistent in it's design". To be quite frank, this is a bunch of nonsense hullabaloo. Anyone who has enjoyed enough fictional settings like that of [[Fallout|Fallout]] is going to tell you that the Leagues is full of [[Isaac Asimov|mid-centrury futurism]] and [[Arthur C. Clarke|classical sci-fi]], with the atv looking like a 1960s moon buggy, and the Hernkyn chopper looking like a mid centrury 60s bike ([https://youtu.be/ySxEFuUrdio|for gods sake, look at it's trailer]). While you will find some of dieselpunk in the LoV and its not entirely just mid centrury aesthetics, [[atompunk|atompunk]] has asserted its dominance here, Giving them a more civilian look. This also includes the look of the Ironkin (and to a certain extent [[UR-025]] and the [[Kastelan Class Battle-Automata]] which look like mid century robots. Fact is, the LoV is a love letter to classic sci fi. But that's not all.

*'''The LoV, and western/wacky sci fi:''' If you haven't noticed from the bolter revolvers, the abundance of words like "Pioneer", "frontier", "rugged", and "hardy, along with the fact that the first revealed ironkin looks a lot like a western black smith, the amount of "simple" pratical tools the Kin often carry, the Leagues have a lot of western influences. They also seem to still retain an air of comedic relief from their previous Squat forms. Expect future [[firefly|firefly]] references, and a Votann answering with [[Approved Literature|"42"]].

*'''The LoV, and mass produced goodness:''' Unlike their many Dwarven counter parts, the Leagues are by no means the top industrial power house of the galaxy (the necrons and the aeldari have them beat, along with most of the other species from around the time of the old ones). To be quite honest, they are more about industry as a theme rather than being the most industrious. However, one could say they are still the top non prehistoric industrial in the galaxy. They could also be said to be the top powerhouse in the galaxy that is both operating at its full capability (necron sleepiness), and still actively lives and colonizes the galaxy (eldar and their hidey holes). And in comparison to their "competitors", are probably the most easily accessible due to them generally not wanting to instantly butcher you the second they even glance at you, or just tell you to get lost. As for the lower powers? The Imperium, while it's very industrial, its also incredibly inefficient and and often...dumb with its capabilities in general (agri worlds, under use of auto loaders, crappy servitors). And the tau, while smarter than the imperium with their industrial capabilities, has far less potential with what they have.
**Moving on from their position in the galaxy, why the industrial aesthetic? Well, first off, they're dwarves. Second off, as mentioned above, the other industrial factions are either too insufficient to carry out certain ideas and concepts, or are too hidey. The Leagues are in the perfect position to introduce potential new concepts to the universe, like not crap hive cities, dyson spheres that don't belong to the necrons, megastructures, and potentially much more. it's a nice change of pace to see an actually efficient industrial that isn't controlled by ancient aliens.
**Thirdly, you need a little grime and practicality to that atompunk, and efficient industry is the perfect way to do it. Doesn't mean you can't have your cleanliness (and I'm pretty sure they'd prefer to not have pollution in their holds), just adds a tad bit of realistic imagery to it.

*'''Cleanliness, kin, and old world blues:''' Besides the reasons above, there is a reason the Leagues look so "clean", "organized", and a little "sleek", even for a advanced civilization. This comes from the more grimdark and evil side of the Leagues (which is a little weird and unique). As previously stated before, the Leagues are a meritocracy overseen By guilds, wise long bearded psykers, military commanders, and the mighty moai heads themselves. Said guilds are very competitive, and will not hesitate to strip to the bone entire planets with civilizations and ecosystems just to stay ahead.
**So are they capitalist? Maybe. But while they've shown how they can easily have conflicts with themselves, one of their mottos is "Kin are kin". They also seem to be very egalitarian within their societies, On top of this, we've had previous examples of society reaching post scarcity levels of comfort, including even some Imperial worlds, and the friggin lower tech tau. They also seem to put high importance on community and fellow kin. Even the guilds wouldn't be caught dead cutting corners and making shoddy products (they regulate much of League society).
**So socialists? Maybe. But really, the answer may be in-between (somewhat). Would certainly suggest looking up the guilds of post classical, classical, and pre-classical history to get a better perspective.
**But we do know that they are a meritocracy, the guilds are competitive, kin generally live comfortable lives, kin are Kin, kin are very egalitarian, guilds run and regulate much of League society, and the Leagues and the guilds still come to blow with eacher. What we can tell is that Leagues inner society is generally at least decent for its citizens. As for those who are outside of League society...
**Expect to see a lot of neocolonialism, colonialism, client states, banana Republics, puppet states, potentially narco states, banana wars, and the 1893 overthrowing of the kingdom of Hawaii except 10x worse (and with more planetary genocide). As with their holds: dirty on the outside, clean on the inside.

*'''The Lov, the mythological, and the fantastical:''' This one is a total mashup. You got Celtic, Greek, Nordic, and other mythologies mashed in. The Leagues are named after Greek titans, and Nordic gods. The Votann are based off [[Odin]]. The Kin are Geri and Freki, odins greedy wolves. The leadership is based off odins ideal leadership (with the grimnyr being based off one of his disguise names).

==Forces of the Kin==

*'''Warlord:''' Retaining their names from the times of Rogue Trader, the [[Squat Warlord|Kin Warlords]] likely play a much similar role to their predecessors, being the military leaders of their leagues.

*'''Kâhl:''' Experienced battle hardened Generals who proudly wield the Leagues advanced weaponry, and are the final authority over an individual Oathband in the Kinhost militaries, they’re subordinate only to their Kindred’s ruling Votannic Council. Their most important role is to cast the Eye of the Ancestors over their foes — marking out priority targets and ensuring the most dangerous enemies are the first to feel the wrath of the Kin. Equipment wise they carry nifty ornate armor and weapons like the Kin equivalent to storm bolter, plasma axes, and Volkite equipped power fists. FOR KARL!!

*'''[[Squat Thunderers|Brôkhyr]]:''' The [[Guildmaster|engineers]] and lead craftsman of the Leagues, named after the dwarf of Norse mythology, Brokkr, who built Mjolnir. They just blow tech priests out of the water on every level, as not only do their (creatively named) A.N-vyl Terminals (just picture a 3D printer but for guns) have MANY full STCs inside that make all their guns all that and a bag of chips in comparison to those of the Imperium, but they're also not limited by dogma and orthodoxy when it comes to technological advancements, meaning they actively upgrade their shit. That being said while their specialty lies in engineering these folks are also more than willing to throw down with the best of them. When the Oathbands head to battle, the Brôkhyr will strap on powerful exo-frames to become the mighty Thunderkyn. Although not quite as scratch-resistant as the Einhyr Hearthguard’s exo-armour, since the powerful suits they wear were initially adapted from rugged engineering rigs, they can still take a hell of a pummeling and allow the Brôkhyr Thunderkyn to heft the heaviest man-portable weapons the Leagues can muster with ease. Hordes of their enemies fall before salvos unleashed from bolt cannons, while heavy infantry find themselves pierced by the unstoppable lances of SP conversion beamers, prospects that have made more than one enemy think twice before attacking them.

*'''Brôkhyr Iron-master:''' The Brôkhyr are the Leagues’ highly skilled techno-artificers, and the Iron-masters are the cream of their crop. They head into battle with a dutiful Ironkin assistant and a knack for repairing even the most beaten-up vehicles. Helping them are a gaggle of E-COGs – hardy combat and repair drones, lacking the intellect of a true Ironkin.

*'''Grimnyr:''' The predominant psykers of the Leagues, dressed like [[weeb|fucking wizards]] in an army full of voidsuits and armor. Their robes cover their Power Armor to the point the [[Dark Angels]] themselves looks like normies. Gone are the days of [[Living Ancestor]]s, as the Kin now name their dwarf wizards after the false identity Odin took while on a bet from Frigg, from Norse Mythology (or ripping off the WHFB dwarf god [[Grimnir]]). Are essentially the Votanns eyes, ears, limbs, mouth, etc. They are able to access directly the data stores of the Votann using psychic powers, and communicates its will and guidance to their Kindreds and Leagues. They are the closet you'll to a priest in the largely secular Leagues. They also use barrier tech to help them harness the raw power of the immaterium in battle – such as summoning two mechanical CORVs that often hover alongside them as familiars (very similar to the ability of the gene stealer cults to summon familiars). Essentially mystical wise old men.

*'''[[Squat Berserkers|Cthonian Berserks]]:''' Hailing from the Cthonian mining guilds which are noted for venturing to environments even other Kin fear to tread, these furious and heavily augmented murder machines are a sci-fi reimagining of [[Slayer]]s from WHFB. These frontline fighters originally began as Kin who enhanced the physical capabilities of their cloneskeins with cybernetic upgrades and cyberstimms, all the better to extract precious minerals from rad-plagued nebulae, explosive asteroids, and fathomless ocean depths. Now tasked with dealing with their people’s enemies they charge into battle with modified advanced mining gear like heavy plasma axes, concussion mauls, and power fists all while wearing little or no armor besides that which their cyborg augmentations provides. They also have mole mortars/ grenade launchers (for mining purposes of course).

*'''Hearthkyn Warriors:''' Because replacing i's with y's is so sci-fi and trademark friendly. The [[Squat Trooper|Hearthkyn]] are essentially identical in terms of origin as the [[Guardian|Guardian Defenders]] of the eldar, in that they are the core infantry force of the Leagues' military that were conscripted from their civilian populations. However, rather than being a militia roused during times of conflict, the Hearthkyn are instead closer to real-world militaries, in that the soldiery serve for an extended period of time before going home to their civilian professions. Serving in the Hearthkyn, anyone can enlist: male, female, flesh or metal, as Kin are Kin, after all. The units themselves are equipped with all manner of hullabaloo Squat guns depending on their specialization, on the lighter end there are the Autoch-pattern bolters used for assault and laying down covering/saturation fire, there are also bolt shotguns, and bolt revolvers. On the heavier side there are volkanite disintegrators, ion blasters (whose technology the Kin apparently gave to the Tau much to the Imperium’s ire) and HYLas auto-rifles all of which are used to sunder the defences of heavily-armoured opponents. Finally there’s also specialized heavy weapons such as L7 missile launchers, EtaCarn plasma beamers, Graviton blast cannons, and magna-rail rifles. All these ranged weapons are supported by smart tech integrated into Kin battlegear. The haptic utility nerve transmission recalibrator modules – HunTR for short – interface with their neural augmetics to establish a feedback loop between firearms and their users. This system projects minute gravitational pulses to maintain a stable firing platform even while running at full pelt – or zooming along on a flying trike. For close combat they got plasma blades, plasma axes, and concussion weapons like gauntlets, hammers, and mauls that amplifies the kinetic energy behind a Kin’s strike enough to launch an Ork boy into the air. As for protection they wear their own brand of power armor called Void armour comprised of hardened jointed segments which are hooked into a void suit beneath. The suit is fashioned from magnaferrite weave, and often reinforced with adamantine and enhanced with microfield generators for a level of protection that any Imperial Guardsman would give their left gonad to have!
**'''Theyn:''' Sci-fi spelling for the old Anglo-Saxon Thegns/Thanes (Fantasy Dwarfs had Thanes as heroes, so another connection there). They are experienced warriors that serve as [[Squat Thunderers|squad leaders]] in Hearthkyn and Einhyr Warrior squads of 10 to 20 warriors and are able to arm themselves with a variety of hand-to-hand combat weapons, including brutal concussion gauntlets, plasma blades, and vicious plasma axes in addition to high quality ranged weapons. Theyns communicate with their squad with the aid of cybernetic implants – relaying strategic instructions from the commanders of the Oathband to their units, and can be differentiated from the other kin by the fancy animal headed crest mounted on the back of their armor.

*'''Einhyr [[Hearthguard]]:''' Named after the Einherjar of Valhalla, they are the newly-christened [[Hearthguard]] Terminators of old, being the honored warriors selected from a Kinhold's most accomplished fighters, clad in [[Exo-Armour]]. They're armed with a shoulder mounted grenade launcher, a hand-held Volkanite Disintegrator, and either a power first with a retractable plasma blade or a Thunder Hammer. Like regular Hearthkyn Void armor the Exo-armor also has the HunTR system of micro gravity field generators built in to help keep their aim steady allowing them to fire on the move.

*'''Einhyr Champion:''' Those who climb the ranks of the Einhyr that eventually became Champions. These warriors are clad in modified exo-armour fitted with mass-drivers for jump purposes and armed with vicious close combat weapons. They function as living battering rams, pulverising anything that gets in their way.

*'''[[Hekaton Land Fortress]]:''' A HECKA CHUNKY Heavy support tank that can double as a defensive emplacement. Packs overwhelming firepower onto a rugged frame, and can lug around a hefty 12 models. It can go toe-to-toe with some of the biggest and best battle tanks in the 41st Millennium thanks to its durable void armour. And it can be equipped with a variety of hefty weapons and devastating warheads – from the very nasty heavy magna-rail cannon to the SP heavy conversion beamer and a missile launcher apparently.

*'''Hernkyn Pioneer:''' THE [[Squat Trike|TRIKES]] RETURN! [[Skub|AS HOVERTRIKES!]] And with a [[-4 Str|female]] driver. It looks like a spider-tank tachikoma from Ghost in the Shell fucked a [[Squat Bike|Harley]] and their baby came out a hoverbike. Hernkyn Pioneers are ridden by independently minded Kin who serve as scouts and outriders for the Kinhosts. They exchange the heavier armor of the Hyrthkin for lighter void suits backed up by armored trench coats, an old style pilot’s cap, and when necessary a gas or oxygen mask. Before you make the mistake of thinking they’re outlaw bikers though it should be noted that they are not seen like that at all amongst their own people. Rather in eyes of the Kin the Pioneers willingness to go off alone is considered courageous and selfless as they are putting their own lives at risk for the sake of their families, in effect making them the equivalent of the WFB Dwarf rangers. Anyway, to ensure they can keep riding for as long as possible the Pioneers make sure to carry any all equipment they might conceivably need with them at all times, from bedrolls to digging tools strapped to their rides. To aid them in scouting their trikes come equipped with multiwave comms arrays and pan-spectral scanners which are all quite useful for picking up strategically important data. Weapons-wise the riders can be armed with a bolt pistol, or a bolt shotgun, and a plasma blade for a backup, while the Trike itself was equipped with a magna-coil autocannon mounted on the front. In addition if the rider is willing to take along a passenger then it’s possible to mount another heavy weapon on the back of the vehicle like a rotary Hy-Las (high yield laser) cannon or whatever else might be needed. These weapons are linked to the driver and passenger’s implants via the HunTR system so they can fire on the move.

*'''[[Sagitaur ATV]]:''' A six wheeled infantry fighting vehicle, that takes its name from the centaur shaped constellation Sagittarius, the Sagitaur is used for surveying inhospitable alien terrain. The Sagitaur is a rapid-response ATV suited to scouting operations and lightning-fast armoured offensives alongside Hernkyn Pioneers. Its armoured carapace is durable enough to shrug off everything from rockslides to plasma blasts. Sagitaurs usually operate in pairs and are remarkably heavily-armed for their size, with a nose-mounted twin bolt cannon complemented by a swivelling turret weapon, such as a HYLas beam cannon, L7 missile launcher, or MATR autocannon. Once they’re right up in the enemy’s lines they will disgorge their troops, in the form of a full squad of infantry which can be split between the two vehicles, who can then go on to seize vital objectives.

*'''[[Ironhead Squat Prospectors]]:''' An offshoot of the Kin lacking a Votann ancestor core that set up shop on [[Necromunda]] right after the Horus Heresy, and are busy doing dwarrowesque things, while also dealing with the locals that sometimes try to loot their stuff. While they're only distantly related to the Leagues with no direct affiliation, they're said to get along. There is a small but not high chance the'll be options on the table top as well since Kill team has a precedent for a small unit from one box being an option like the sister novitiate, at the very least make a good proxy/conversion.

*'''[[Cargo-8 Ridgehauler]]:''' the Squat land trains return! Well they have on Necromunda at least. These huge transport trucks with multiple trailers and strapped on weaponry are used by Squat prospectors and regular human folk to cross the ash wasteland and protect valuable shipments. They aren’t quite up to the standard of the old land trains but at least it’s something.

*'''[[Demiurg]]:''' Largely here because of non-direct confirmation, but WarCom confirmed that the Tau received their ion weapon technology from the Kin, whereas in Battlefleet Gothic they claim that it was from the Demiurg, ''another'' race of dwarf space-miners. Logically, the term "Demiurg" may just be what the Tau call the Kin, or the Demiurg may be another offshoot culture of the wider kin race like prospectors above. After all, their clone-skin’s capability in stressing divergent phenotypes means visibly different strains could possible (like different breeds of dogs or cats). Or they could be just a League like the Seran-Tok Mercantile Leagues that decided to throw in their lot with the upstart T'au Empire rather than being in the bottom of the Imperium's to-do list.
==See Also==
*[[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Leagues of Votann(9E)]]
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:VotannTrike.jpg|They see me dworfin, they hatin', Patrollin', and tryna catch me ridin' dirty.
File:CNiuMZPWWNpatQNt (1).jpg|dorfy thicc dorfy brick
File: FW1NodbWYAA-Gzh.jpg|‘[[StarCraft|Ye want a piece a' me, lad??]]’
File:Sagitaur ATV.jpg| Sagitaur ATV, the perfect vehicle for dropping off some Hearthkyn at the pub for some brewskies on a moons surface.
File:LeagueHold.jpg|One of the many holds in the Leagues, in all it's industrial might
File:Ironkin.jpg|A humble Ironkin, ready to serve for their civilization
File:Getbackintheironkinchen.png|"[[Weeb|UWU.exe]]: I wonder if [[Adeptus Mechanicus|our new friends]] will enjoy these muffins I baked for them? I should head over and see what they're up to!"
File:CthonianBerserks.png|Just another day of cyberstimms and Cyberpsychosis...
File:Wrathoftheancestors.jpg| [[Primaris Captain|Where have I seen that before?]] [https://1d4chan.org/wiki/File:Captain1.jpg Oh.]
File:Kâhl.jpg|Pictured: The '''real''' Space Vikings.
File:Gangoftrikes.jpg
File:VotannPioneer.jpg.webp
File:Leaguemining.jpg|It ain't no trick to get rich quick If you dig dig dig with a shovel or a pick
File:Leagueanvil.jpg
File:Thunderkyn.jpg
File:LOV Army Shot.png
File:Votann Grimnyr.jpg|Finally, the [[Space Wolves|fucking furries]] don't have the monopoly on sweet beards
</gallery>

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]
[[Category:Dwarves]]
[[Category:Squats]]
[[Category:Abhumans]]
[[Category:Governments & National Powers]]
[[Category:Under Development]]

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{{WH40k-Factions}}
{{40k-Governments}}

Leagues of Votann

2022-09-04T16:59:03Z

2601:188:C300:64B8:6D3E:5735:CBBE:C0F8: /* Known Leagues */

{{stub}}

[[File:Votann meeting.jpg|400px|thumb|right|[[Star Wars|200,000 clones are ready with a million more well on the way.]]]]

{{topquote|Right after Mankind’s colonization of the galaxy came its first true golden age. Reared by machine prophets, the survivors of the Oedipal plagues built civilizations that equaled and even surpassed their Solar forbears.| CM Koseman, ''All Tomorrow's''}}

{{topquote|Better a soulless clone... than a souled roach.|David Mitchell, ''Cloud Atlas''}}

{{topquote|Bite my shiny metal ass!|Bender, ''Futurama''}}

The '''Leagues of Votann''' (also known as the [[Squats|Unsquatted Squats]]) is a [[retcon|""new""]] faction in the [[Warhammer 40,000]] universe. They are gatherings of short abhuman clones called the Kin (more commonly known as Squats by the dirty Necromunda gangers), bound together by the [[Votann]], super-cogitators from the [[Dark Age of Technology]]. Each League has its own Votann, and are organized in strongholds around it. [[Powergamer|They used the data stored to survive among the stars and maintain their culture across generations]]. Of course, since some [[Adeptus Mechanicus|factions]] are touchy about AI, the Leagues are very cautious when dealing with [[Imperium of Man|its closest ally]], hence their secretive lifestyle.

However, because of the [[grimdark|setting]], everything is not that simple. Since Windows is not regularly updated anymore and issues that have arisen from having remained active for literal millennia, the Votann began to deteriorate. If they want to repair their computer, <s>[[Dwarf Fortress|they must wage war with other shitcoin miners for more processing power]]</s>, the Kin have to once more brave a galaxy full of danger.

==History==
Even the oldest living Kin don’t remember what their earliest days were like, though some undeniable “First Truths” remain constant in the Votanns’ data tracks. One such truth is that the First Ancestors departed from ancient Terra prior to the Unification Wars to harvest the untold riches of the galaxy with the first holds being settled near the galactic core. What became of these Ancestors is unknown, but curiously when the Ancestors begun to fade away…the Votann are first mentioned.

A second First Truth is that the Kin have always been a cloned people. The Ancestors used genetic systems called “cloneskeins” to manipulate and modify their race’s molecular structure, and continue to define their overall division of labor. Over time the Kin became squatter, denser, and stronger than an average human growing no more than five feet tall max. They’ve even been able to artificially neuter their [[psyker|psychic]] footprint to avoid the attention of [[Chaos]], in a not too dissimilar to how the [[Tau]] souls work. Other examples of this engineering can be seen in the Hearthkyn Warriors, who often are also engineered with particular cloneskeins that allow them to specialise in combat – heightened senses, improved stamina, and the ability to see better in the dark, to name but a few. In contrast, others augment their bodies for battle with mechanical limbs and synthetic organs, with members of the powerful Cthonian Mining Guilds being noted as extensive users of these body modifications. This is not that unexpected as that particular guild (which is noted as being a particularly extreme embodiment of the usual belligerent acquisitiveness of the Kin) is willing to fearlessly locate, secure, and harvest resources for their race from environments so dangerous that even other Kin would baulk at their hazards leading to a need for extensive augmentation on their part. Because of all the above, some fans are now speculating that GW is tying the [[Men of Stone]] thread to the modern Squat civilization (either to the Squats themselves or to the Votann) given the [[Men of Gold]] and [[Men of Iron]] have already been speculated to be [[Perpetual]]s and [[Machine Spirit|abominable intelligence]]. With the reveal of the “Iron Kin,” their fully-mechanical and true AI robot social class, who were designed with a prerogative to help their meaty cousins, this theory of the Kin being the Men of Stone could bear all the more weight.

At some point during the reconstruction after the Horus Heresy, the ancestors of the Ironhead Squats arrived from the Leagues to help with rebuilding efforts on Necromunda. However they somehow lost their Votann ancestor core in the process and so they ended up having to stay on the world long after the rebuilding was done so they could try and track it down, a search which still continues to this day and has resulted in them regressing technologically in the mean time.

With the formation of the Great Rift, the Leagues had lost a few holds and trade routes, pressuring them into expanding and gaining new trade routes, endorsing new colonization efforts, and slowly withdrawing from their semi isolated state.

==Culture==
{{topquote|So, we're talking about space dwarfs who need more RAM for their gods?|Anon}}

In the modern day of the 41st Millennium, the culture of the Kin seems, according to the drip feed from WarCom, very egalitarian, with no distinction between male, female, machine or otherwise amongst its members. [[Greater Good|United in the guidance of the Votann, the Leagues of the Kin operate with seeming unity, with the Kin working in unison for the betterment of their Kindreds, or so it would appear to outsiders.]] The truth however is a little more complicated than that though.

The Leagues are semi unified conglomerates of "family states" (a cross between nation states and extended family) called Kindreds, guilds, Freelancers, and kinhost armies. While the Leagues are very communal and chummy with their fellow kin, this does not stop the dark influences of a past long gone from seeping into their civilizations.

Entire planets and even systems with ecosystems and civilizations stripped to the bone, regardless of the ethics. global magna extraction and tectonic delving allows the Kin to harvest whole world, populated or not. Evacuation may be offered, but not always. Ferocious competition between Guilds and freelancers, who have taken on the mantle from dark age corporations, merc groups, independent contractors, and cartels and follow the philosophy of "When someone has what you want, why not take it. While the Kin do live to serve their fellow kin, their societies, and their ancestors, they are also filled to the brim with societal wide greed and hunger. As individuals, they may or may not have such hungers, but as communities they will devour entire worlds. Not even the universe itself will be enough for their wants.

This does not mean they are the type to cut corners. Far from it. Like their many Dwarven counter parts in other media, one of the things they appreciate is fine ass Craftmanship. No planned obsolescence, shoddy piss water, and easy to break communicators here. Only the best in quality is acceptable (or at least, the best they can make). And this is not even such a difficult feat for them. High quality mass produced goods is the norm for League society, with their high technology and industrial society. Many of their holds are even live in factories, constantly churning out master crafted items at a constant pace. The Leagues overall conduct resource extraction, industry. and technology developments on a vastly larger scale, making the Imperium look puny in their developments by comparison. And unlike the imperium, they dont dig for the ore required, wasting time and lives. the Kin instead sees that whatever asteroid or world they are working on can just be torn apart, and the remnants plucked out the wreckage

But despite all their comforts and conveniences, they are still a hardy people who revere their ancestors and promote the importance of sacrifice.

==Technology==
Let's not beat around the bush here, their stuff is straight up better than the Imperium's. While they didn't retain everything after the collapse of the golden age of Man, they retained far more than their Imperial counterparts, to the point where they can at least echo DAoT society and its tech. While much of the Leagues tech is reminiscent of the Imperium's, it's is LEAGUES better than what they have.

They can edit their souls. They can make stable mutations and psykers. Their guns hit harder and faster, and even their basic infantry can prove to be trouble for your average space marine. Agri-worlds? Why grow your food using outdated primitive farming methods when you can grow, and make your foodstuffs in your factories, labs, and indoor facilities. Cybernetic implants and genetic modification is the norm, and advanced helper AI citizens walk the streets as equals. They have advanced ion weaponry, something that terrified the shit out of the Imperium to the point where they just straight up banned it. And unlike the unstable, insecure, filthy, and crime-infested hive worlds with their hive cities, Holds could be considered closer to actual fortified arcologies than the hive cities ever were. They also make use of exotic materials (Much of the kins weapons contain exotic material not found outside the galactic core) like Dark star ore, which is extremely dangerous to life, as just a single cut can cause death as the universal dampening field the material emits can halt all mechanical and organic functions. Because of the dangers, the material is mined and shaped with exceptional care, and is only wielded by those who could be trusted with such a equally dangerous and tactically valuable weapon. They have almost flawless teleportation technology, so kin can be deployed without significant risk. It can even be used tactically. Another one of amazing devices are pan spectular scanners, which allow the Kin to find a enemy’s location, not only through walls and objects, but also through the warp. They also have stellar siphons that drain the stars themselves as the cithonic mining guilds take whatever resources they need, and even the most terrifying of galactic phenomena are reaped through atom delving and transotheric resubstantiation. The Kins warp drives and Gellar field are superior to the Imperium’s, making travel safer and more reliable. Thanks to said superior shielding tech, shielding developments are also prevalent in the physical realm, with weave field generators employing a technique where different energy fields overlap and interlock over a range of frequencies and exotic energies. Weave field generators are compact and efficient, and can be use as personal shields and can even be projected onto entire areas, which is useful for mining. They can scout for minerals and space hulks while in the warp. They have plasma blades made entirely of plasma, and their cores act like mini Astronomicans because they are so big brained, they shine in the warp. Many of their weapons are augmented with HunTR modules, which connects to the Kins neural implants, and help bring the best possible firing solution that can be achieved. Their Brôkhyr have mastered the manufacturing of Focusing lenses and other components necessary to produce a sustained stream of energy, leading
to focused beam technology that can be used on and off the battlefield, such as their mining and excavation industries. Much of the kins weapons contain exotic material not found outside the galactic core. And like their more peaceful interex counterparts, their ships are FUCK HUGE, to the point where they dwarf even the largest of the Imperium's interstellar vessels. They can even move entire planets. Their Volkanite weapons have remained the same, with few alterations, but the fact that they can still make them commonly puts them way above the imperium. Like it was said earlier, strictly better.

Unfortunately for them, much of the tech they didn't retain was the top of the line tech, things like the Votanns. Due to this, while they can emulate most of past pinnacle human civilization, their development and research has slowed down to a crawl thanks to their big moai heads also slowing down (which does the work not many in the galaxy could ever do, thanks to their smarts). Until this is fixed (if it ever will be), they are stuck behind the Eldar and the Necrons technologically. But hey, at least they aren't on the Imperium’s level of decay.

==Aspects of League society==
*'''Leagues:''' Conglomerates of family states united for better economic and defensive potential. Competitive, but not to the point of self destruction and to the point where it gets in the way of productivity. Looks down on the Imperium. Hates the eldar because they are entitled bastards who are bad for business. Some are business partners with the Tau and gives them ion guns and other goodies. Loves their Votanns to point of self sacrifice. Their numbers greatly outnumber the populations of the upstart tau and the dwindling eldari, yet their population is still far fewer than the imperium obviously (they are still described as having formidable and vast interstellar empires however). Loves their Galactic core due to its crazy amounts of wealth and minerals, and it being quite inhospitable to the other races (which they were <ref><nowiki>Insert non-formatted text here</nowiki></ref>made to live in). There is no exact number of known Leagues, the Kin find no use in keep track of it. Can often be in nomadic (living in spacefaring holds). Currently trying to fix up their broken trade routes after the Great Rift appeared.
*'''First Ancestors:''' The DAOT colonists (engineers, miners, etc) who journeyed to the galactic mineral-rich core in generation ships as part of a large colonization effort. Not much else is know about them besides the fact they disappeared when the Votann first appeared...

*'''[[Votann]]s:''' super-cogitators, which contain Gestalt repositories of unimaginable inherited wisdom and knowledge, along with [[Spirit stone|Ancestor Cores]] with their self-organizing datastacks and quantum infocores. All members of the Leagues after they pass on returned and recycled to the ancestor cores in somber ceremonies, both mind and body. Even the ironkin are not immune to this fate, as while they are long lived, they will eventually slow down to a crawl and breakdown. The minds and uploaded data are kept in the votann, while the bodies are recycled to make new kin. They are currently breaking down and developing [[Machine Spirit|"personalities"]], with calculations that normally took hours taking decades, if not centuries to complete. However they can still be modified by the kin (often at the votanns request). Curiously, they also serve another purpose as acting as mini [[Astronomican|Astronomicans]] for the Leagues, due to their vast intellect literally shining in the warp. Has been stated that the "Votann belong to the Kin as Kin belong to the Votann". Often act more like advisors and repositories (none of them have been leaders). Due to their degradation and age, some of the Votann have even lost the ability to produce more kin (Brokhyrs and Ironkin Guilds can produce more ironkin, but they are of lower quality than what the ancestors create). The ancestor cores have been stated to have been on the first generation ships.

*League Leadership tends to be broken down as follows:
**'''Votannic Council:''' A League’s ultimate ruling body presumably second only to the Votann themselves. Stubborn, and are slow to change their minds or come to decisions. Elections in the Leagues generally are extremely heated. Needed for full on wars (local conflicts excluded).
**'''Guild Masters:''' Guild Leaders who have worked their way up through the Leagues meritocracy. Note that there can be multiple guild masters on the council.
**'''Brôkhyr Forge-Master:''' The absolute cream of the crop from the forges of the Leagues, they not only have proved their ability to create technological marvels,but over see their development as well. They also bring the fury of the Forge to the battlefield, delivering council to the warriors on the field as well.
**'''Lord Grimnyr:''' The ultimate representative of the Grimnyr, who embodies wisdom, guidance, and insight. The Lord Grimnyr acts as the voice of the Votann itself, acting as a walking conduit for both their lore and gestalt might. This role is not purely a ceromonial or advisory role, for it is incumbent upon the Lord Grimnyr to walk the battlefield as the eyes, ears, and voice of the Votann, dispensing wisdom to friends and allies, and unleashing the wrath of the Ancestors. It is not known how they are selected for the position.
**'''Grimnyr:''' Kin psykers that wield massive amounts of power. Capable of accessing "empyrically archived" Votann wisdom. They are probably deeply tied to the Votanns and represent them in their wing of the Leagues governments. <s>Probably</s> Definitely have very long beards.
**'''High Kâhl:''' The ultimate military commanders of the kinhost militaries. To be named High Kâhl is both a tremendous honour and a awesome responsibility. To be elected a High Kâhl, the incumbent must go beyond just a tremendously capable warriors ,and a indomitable battlefield leader. They must master the cruel calculus of war itself.
**'''Kinhost commanders/senior Officers:''' The military leaders of the Kinhost militaries that rank below the High Kâhl.
*'''Kindreds:''' A combination between nation state and extended family, essentially the societies that make up the Leagues. Generally lives in holds (although it's population is encouraged to go travel throughout the galaxy and make their ancestors proud). They are very communal in nature, and their populations range from a couple dozen to the millions. Each one is governed by a Votannic council. They have their own aspects which are called the Four Pillars:
# Hearth: “the heart of the hold,” literally the heat and light their forges, recycle air, and let the kin thrive
# Forge: Here everything the Kindred needs is built, from weapons to life-support systems
# Thane: Where the Grimnyr interface with the Ancestor Cores
# Crucible: Where new flesh and blood Kin are made

*'''Kinhosts:''' The militaries/militias of the Leagues, made after the kindreds united and combined their militaries. Soldiers are typically drawn from the civilian populous, but are not restricted to kinhosts only, as depending on their decision (after they completed their oath of service to their Kâhl), the soldier may return to civilian life after they have done their service. Objectives range from protecting colonization efforts, protecting resources extraction operations and other guild/kindred interests, and overall defense to annihilating entire worlds because they know too much. Has a slightly overall civilian look to them (but are still more deadly than Imperial forces). The forces within the kinhosts militaries (called oathbands), are extremely flexible on what they consist of. Some of these oathbands can even consist entirely of mercenaries.

*'''Guilds:''' The overall backbone of the Leagues. Independent commercial groups. Builds holds and everything else. Regulates and manages almost everything, and oversees fair competition( but are not necessarily overbearing). Does not like cutting corners. Very competitive and ruthless in general. Is unofficially apart of the government. Typically doesn't leave their own holds. Does not like Freelancers and outcasts (and the occasional rival guild). Every aspect of life and production is affected by the guilds. Clonskin guilds exist and work to improve upon and stabilize cloneskins. Ironkin Guilds exist as well.

*'''Freelancers:''' Independent contractors, mercenaries, traders, explorers, plumbers, etc. Does the same thing as the guilds except with less political influence and resources. Not too fond of guilds

*'''Holds:''' The homes of the Leagues and its organizations and populous. Typically enclosed and fortified, holds vary in type and size. Can range from underground tunnels and narrows, to fortified bunkers and live in factories, to hive cities and ecumenopolises. Also comes in the form of space stations, asteroid colonies, and ships. Industrial and high tech in nature, yet very cozy with a lot of empasis on community, closeness, and interaction. Essentially hive cities except not shit and on steroids. Contains "Hearths", which act as the hearts of the holds, providing heat, light, and recycled air, and overall let the kin thrive. Hearths also act as reactors for the Kins holds, powering up all their electrical needs.

*'''Kin in general/clonekin:''' The general population of the Leagues. Mainly consists of ironkin and clonekin (although, there could be more). Tough as nails, and artificial in nature. Comes from "crucibles" (which they prefer due to regular reproduction diluting the genetic quality of offspring. Generally enhanced by both biological and cybernetic means. Very intelligent and industrious. Loves their ancestors to death. Loves their Kin and kindreds. Loves making their master crafts. Loves living in their fortified holds (but will go out into the galaxy to serve the ancestors, their guilds, and their communities). They get to pick their own names (excluding their family names, which they get from the names the crucibles has attached to it, and its considered rude to change), and gain more throughout their life from fellow kin like "Orkslayer". Loves their individuality and mutations (although some cloneskin templates and mutations can actually lower the lifespan of a clonkin, along with clonekins who had their production accelerated). Far from uncommon for them to get plenty of physical alterations. They were also made to resist and endure the warp and its corruptions, dampening their souls (note: they are masking their souls brightness, not actually dimming down their souls) for better protection. They also have high amouns of white blood cells, which allows them to greatly resist disease, and heal swiftly. Some can see in infrared.

*'''Ironkin:''' The League have [[Men of Iron]] now, or at least true AIs. Appears to be comparable to a Servitor, although distinctly described as being treated as equal to the fleshy Kin. The Ironkin can mimic their living counterparts’ every behavior and demeanor, but display no sense of ambition and are hard-wired with a desire to be helpful. Their bodies are all built for a unique purpose and cannot be easily replaced should they be damaged. One such purpose are the Wayfinders, which are the supercomputer, squatty equivalent of Imperial [[navigator|navigators]], allowing the Kin to traverse the Warp without the need of psykers, and thus reduce the threat of daemonic incursions. All ironkin have a CU, or Cerebral Unit, and a mechanical body, both of which are unique to each individual ironkin. The CU's themselves are nigh indestructible (with microfield generators woven into the structure of the unit), and can send out distress beacons. Since Kin are kin, these are high priority for recovery.

*'''COGs:''' Are essentially the lower forms of ai, automatons, and algorithms the Leagues possess. Akin to tau drones (yet still more advanced). Does much of the menial jobs and such in the Leagues, along with being utilized in combat as well, and overall helps automate the Leagues of Votann. Probably still treated better than servitors (especially considering they look like ironkin).

*'''Outcasts:''' Hippies, troublemakers, and those Kin who do shit like performing illegal experiments, probably.

==Known Leagues==
*'''Urani-Surtr Regulates:''' A determined League constantly being invaded, they will fight to the last person standing. Their kin live on the minimum and are currently at war with a necron world (and the necron sunnok dynasty). Are stoic, pragmatic, and abhor waste like most other Leagues, though they are noted for being less concerned with the cost of lives and material for battle to prevent giving up ground. Likes to keep their population counts high for their oathbands. No kin admitted to the Urani-Surtr Regulates has ever left.
*'''Greater Thurian League:''' The probable poster boy League. Has a teal color scheme. Largest of the Leagues, spreading over a wide expanse of the galactic core. Includes over 200 allied kindred, and it contains the biggest guild. Very wealthy and expansionist, they have a lot of military might and resources at their disposal and they want to expand their reach. Their members think they epitomize what it means to be Kin. Are uncompromising with their mercenary attitude. Apparently, their grim, methodical pragmatism is an inspiration to other Leagues.
*'''Trans-Hyperion Alliance:''' The most puritanical in their worship of the Ancestors. Sacrifice has more importance to them than the other leagues. They enjoy collecting data and new info for their Votanns. They are a nomadic league, spread out not only across the galactic core but beyond, into far space. with prospects venturing the width and breath of the galaxy. This lifestyle is driven by the requirement to enrich their Votanns, which for the Trans-Hyperion Alliance is a reward of itself.
*'''Kronus Hegenomy:''' Its the most militaristic and aggressive league (to the point of being aggressive other leagues). Recently formed less than millennium ago. [[Awesome|Ork Waaaghs, Imperial crusades and many other threats have been broken by the mighty kinhost of the Kronus hegemony]]. It's the newest League with a harsh reputation, due to their strictness and quotas. Their Votann has achieved self-awareness and has been demanding the Hegemony to always gather resources; Kindreds that join have to pay a hefty price to join and then have to pay hefty tributes through conquest. They also already pissed off the other Leagues in territorial disputes. Despite their reputation, are still seen as a boon for the other Leagues due to their defensive capabilities.
*'''Ymyr Conglomerate:''' A massive and ancient power bloc. Has a red color scheme. Few value quality craftsmanship more than the Ymyr conglomerate. They have long ventured beyond the core trading and operating all over the galaxy. They are the richest League, having the best living standards to boot. Even for the other Leagues, they appear decedent. They also have a higher amount of high-quality weaponry and equipment for their kinhosts.
*'''Seran-Tok Mercantile Leagues:''' Has risen to prominence and profited greatly from trade with the T’au Empire. Probably the Demiurg.
*'''Grand Orion Compact:''' Their Votann was destroyed by Orks.

==Known Kindreds/Holds==

==Known Guilds==

==Noteworthy Kin==
*'''Ûthar the Destined:''' A great Kahl from the Greater Thurian League that has a mysterious objective and destiny, prophesied to complete a great task. He’s a ruthless warrior armed with masterfully wrought weapons, including the legendary Blade of the Ancestors, and has a gift for assessing enemy foes.

==Relationship/interactions with other factions==
'''Galactic relations in general:''' The Kin will leave most of the denizens in the galaxy alone, so long as they aren't getting in-between what the Kin want. The Leagues of Votann trade outside the core through a range of names, though these are rarely of their choosing this has caused confusion and misunderstanding over who these mercenary adventurers really are. To those who are in their way however (unwillingly or not), the Kin are a tough nut to crack. Even far from the more secure area that is the galactic core, the Kin are a armoured, fortified, bunkered down, advanced, and tactical juggernaut. More often than not, the Kin succeed in their conflicts, and even the more major players of the galaxy find them difficult. On occasion, a resistant population may be deemed too strong for any conflict to be worthwhile, but most of the time any resistance will be swept aside or ignored. he Kin have no compunctions about tearing open the crust of a world whilst the population still dwells upon it, however sometimes a evacuation can be negotiated. To those on the kins good side, they are invaluable business parts. To those on their bad side, they are a force of ruthlessness and greed.

'''Ironhead Squat Prospectors:''' See each other as distant cousins who can share a pint in the pub and complain about the aeldari.

'''Tyranids:''' Tyranid invasions have caused an incalculable amount of damage to the Kin. Their hive fleets are given a grudging respect for their effectiveness, but the Kin have no pause in hunting them down should they stand in between them and their prize. The tyranids consider the Kin to be another source of biomass and will descend upon their worlds like any other, such was the case with the Northstar cluster, where the bioforms exhibited a odd nesting behavior not seen elsewhere. They have proven difficult to eradicate, and have brought devastation to the Urani-Surtr Regulates. The Kin see the danger of the Tyranids, following the destruction of the Emberg Agnir Bloc. It was made up of a few dozen kindred and found themselves in the path of hive fleet Leviathan. The League was wiped out. The Votann was left untouched. It absorbed the bodies of its fallen Kin to deny the Tyranids the biomass, and was driven mad, becoming the mad core, and causing fluctuations in the warp that disrupt travel

'''Tau:''' They view the Leagues as grand benefactors and business partners of the Greater Good and the Tau Empire - although they could certainly improve their view points and dedication to the cause. They are also really happy with their new technology they received from the Demiurg/Leagues, with their ion technology being extremely popular among the Tau's forces. The Leagues see the Tau as as a very naive and young people, though they appreciate the value of the greater good as it shares similarities with their own philosophy, putting Kin first. The tau are more than happy to pay the Leagues, though the Kin rarely share their more advanced developments. As an example, the Kins ion tech is superior and far more compact than the Tau's. Thanks to the extreme naivety of the tau, the tau actually think the few ships they see from the Leagues are all that is left of the Kin, following a invasion from the Tyranids. These rumors have been rebuffed by the kin, much to the confusion of the Tau. The Kin see no value in enlightening them in this regard so long as the can continue to profit from trade with the naive civilization. With the advances of the empire in the Chalnath expanse, there have been some clashes with the various factions of the Kin, which may have soured some local relations

'''The Imperium of Man:''' View the Leagues as useful and good enough for trade, yet they're also sketchy abhumans who stray too far from the holy human form and are probably heretics. On the world of Necromunda at least, they are looked down upon as Squats despite all they've done for the world. Likewise, the Leagues view the Imperium as a bunch of disappointing dumbfuck competitors - although they're still good enough for trade. Will surprisingly be honest about their usage of AI if pressed on it (which of course pisses the Imperium off). On some Imperial worlds like Necromunda, the Kin have been there since their Imperial records started. Rogue traders are more than happy to deal with the Leagues, though their extravagant life styles are considered wasteful by the kin, and deals are made with desperate governors of Imperial worlds, for a suitable fee. The more zealous of the Imperium deem the Kin as xenos. And at one point, the Demiurg had a automated mining facility that was infiltrated by the alpha legion. Overall, the Kin treat them as any other species.

'''Aeldari:''' [[Elf|Guess]]. They like to keep their meetings brief and few.

'''Dark Aeldari:''' [[Dwarf Fortress|Guess again]].

'''Harlequin:''' Weird creepy clowns that are to be avoided.

'''Aeldari Exodites:''' [[Avatar|Guess thrice]]. Although, the Kin actually do respect them for their more practical nature. Still more than happy to invade for resources though.

'''Necrons:''' The Necrons consider the Kin to be another upstart race, though with a level of trepidation. Not only are they considered remarkably dangerous foes to fight, the Kin also delve deep into their worlds, breaking into tomb complexes, and plundering the rich harvest within. To the Kin, the metallic aliens are easy pickings while they sleep, and vicious foes when roused. Typically shoot on sight levels of diplomacy. They already war with the Urani-Surtr Regulates for control over one of its main worlds. The involved Necrons is the Sunnok dynasty.

'''Orks:''' The Orks are the Leagues most hated Foe, as not only are they pervasive, they are also endlessly wasteful, fighting and destroying what the Kin have built, and The Leagues have been as successful as every other civilization in eradicating the Orks. The Orks are not stopped by the dangers of the core regions, and Ork pirate raids are a particular concern, with Orks like bog da freedin king and his numerous fleets pestering the Leagues. The Orks tendency to use whatever scrap they can get has led to the creation of the saying "a prize for a Ork" , used to describe things or ideas that are worthless to the Kin. The 500 years war was fought against WAAAGH Morbok after they overran the Grand Orion Compact's Hold of oriax iron gate kindred. The Votann in the hold was torn to pieces, the most widespread grudge in the history of the Kin was called, and the Compact spent the next five centuries hunting down every single Ork from WAAAGH Morbok.

'''Chaos:''' They find the Leagues to be a major pain in the ass as they actually have at least some idea on how to deal with chaos unlike their Imperial counterparts. They dimmed their souls, use soulless A.I. to pilot through the warp, have top notch security, and live high quality and comfortable lives in their holds. They see little to even no chaos corruption in the Leagues and will probably see more losses than wins with them. The Kin of course are absolutely disgusted by them, and have little time for their gruesome and foolish activities

'''The Adeptus Mechanicus:''' A series of mental breakdowns and cybernetic overloads occurs when Mechanicus members encounter the Leagues. Whether it's due to them seeing Heresy in the Leagues, or due to the many shinies the Leagues have, it doesn't matter. They will see the Leagues as major competition regardless of the reason, and move to claim the shinies for themselves. To the Leagues, the Adeptus Mechanicus are rats scurrying around a scrap heap. Superstitious tech cultists living on the successes of their ancient betters who's ignorance makes them dangerous. The Kin avoid them whenever possible, and are swift to eradicate them when needed.

==Speculation/Theories==
A bit of speculation around the Votann is if anything else in the setting will be retconned into/explained as being one. The most obvious candidate is the [[House Van Saar]] STC, described as being "large building" sized and "damaged" in that its spewing out radiation, similar to the disrepair some Votann are said to be in albeit more extreme, and if it was a Votann it would explain why Squats are on Necromunda.

The Votann are fueled by alcohol.

==Influences/Mythology/Aesthetic/Complaints==
*'''The greater rage:''' The 2001 release of the [[Tau]] was spurred with anger, confusion, and revulsion. Even to this day in the year 2022, you'll still see swathes of the community that seethe at the mere mention of the Tau, deeming them as "weaboo space communists who aren't grimdark enough", or simply "another vile xeno who is irrelevant". And like it's predecessor, The LoV is reaching similar levels of division and anger. But much like the decade that it was revealed in, the Leagues bring in a new scale of chaotic and unprecedented changes. This section is to help boil this down, and address complaints and confusion.

*'''The LoV and twentieth century futurism:''' There have been quite a few who have claimed that the LoV is "generic sci fi" and "inconsistent in it's design". To be quite frank, this is a bunch of nonsense hullabaloo. Anyone who has enjoyed enough fictional settings like that of [[Fallout|Fallout]] is going to tell you that the Leagues is full of [[Isaac Asimov|mid-centrury futurism]] and [[Arthur C. Clarke|classical sci-fi]], with the atv looking like a 1960s moon buggy, and the Hernkyn chopper looking like a mid centrury 60s bike ([https://youtu.be/ySxEFuUrdio|for gods sake, look at it's trailer]). While you will find some of dieselpunk in the LoV and its not entirely just mid centrury aesthetics, [[atompunk|atompunk]] has asserted its dominance here, Giving them a more civilian look. This also includes the look of the Ironkin (and to a certain extent [[UR-025]] and the [[Kastelan Class Battle-Automata]] which look like mid century robots. Fact is, the LoV is a love letter to classic sci fi. But that's not all.

*'''The LoV, and western/wacky sci fi:''' If you haven't noticed from the bolter revolvers, the abundance of words like "Pioneer", "frontier", "rugged", and "hardy, along with the fact that the first revealed ironkin looks a lot like a western black smith, the amount of "simple" pratical tools the Kin often carry, the Leagues have a lot of western influences. They also seem to still retain an air of comedic relief from their previous Squat forms. Expect future [[firefly|firefly]] references, and a Votann answering with [[Approved Literature|"42"]].

*'''The LoV, and mass produced goodness:''' Unlike their many Dwarven counter parts, the Leagues are by no means the top industrial power house of the galaxy (the necrons and the aeldari have them beat, along with most of the other species from around the time of the old ones). To be quite honest, they are more about industry as a theme rather than being the most industrious. However, one could say they are still the top non prehistoric industrial in the galaxy. They could also be said to be the top powerhouse in the galaxy that is both operating at its full capability (necron sleepiness), and still actively lives and colonizes the galaxy (eldar and their hidey holes). And in comparison to their "competitors", are probably the most easily accessible due to them generally not wanting to instantly butcher you the second they even glance at you, or just tell you to get lost. As for the lower powers? The Imperium, while it's very industrial, its also incredibly inefficient and and often...dumb with its capabilities in general (agri worlds, under use of auto loaders, crappy servitors). And the tau, while smarter than the imperium with their industrial capabilities, has far less potential with what they have.
**Moving on from their position in the galaxy, why the industrial aesthetic? Well, first off, they're dwarves. Second off, as mentioned above, the other industrial factions are either too insufficient to carry out certain ideas and concepts, or are too hidey. The Leagues are in the perfect position to introduce potential new concepts to the universe, like not crap hive cities, dyson spheres that don't belong to the necrons, megastructures, and potentially much more. it's a nice change of pace to see an actually efficient industrial that isn't controlled by ancient aliens.
**Thirdly, you need a little grime and practicality to that atompunk, and efficient industry is the perfect way to do it. Doesn't mean you can't have your cleanliness (and I'm pretty sure they'd prefer to not have pollution in their holds), just adds a tad bit of realistic imagery to it.

*'''Cleanliness, kin, and old world blues:''' Besides the reasons above, there is a reason the Leagues look so "clean", "organized", and a little "sleek", even for a advanced civilization. This comes from the more grimdark and evil side of the Leagues (which is a little weird and unique). As previously stated before, the Leagues are a meritocracy overseen By guilds, wise long bearded psykers, military commanders, and the mighty moai heads themselves. Said guilds are very competitive, and will not hesitate to strip to the bone entire planets with civilizations and ecosystems just to stay ahead.
**So are they capitalist? Maybe. But while they've shown how they can easily have conflicts with themselves, one of their mottos is "Kin are kin". They also seem to be very egalitarian within their societies, On top of this, we've had previous examples of society reaching post scarcity levels of comfort, including even some Imperial worlds, and the friggin lower tech tau. They also seem to put high importance on community and fellow kin. Even the guilds wouldn't be caught dead cutting corners and making shoddy products (they regulate much of League society).
**So socialists? Maybe. But really, the answer may be in-between (somewhat). Would certainly suggest looking up the guilds of post classical, classical, and pre-classical history to get a better perspective.
**But we do know that they are a meritocracy, the guilds are competitive, kin generally live comfortable lives, kin are Kin, kin are very egalitarian, guilds run and regulate much of League society, and the Leagues and the guilds still come to blow with eacher. What we can tell is that Leagues inner society is generally at least decent for its citizens. As for those who are outside of League society...
**Expect to see a lot of neocolonialism, colonialism, client states, banana Republics, puppet states, potentially narco states, banana wars, and the 1893 overthrowing of the kingdom of Hawaii except 10x worse (and with more planetary genocide). As with their holds: dirty on the outside, clean on the inside.

*'''The Lov, the mythological, and the fantastical:''' This one is a total mashup. You got Celtic, Greek, Nordic, and other mythologies mashed in. The Leagues are named after Greek titans, and Nordic gods. The Votann are based off [[Odin]]. The Kin are Geri and Freki, odins greedy wolves. The leadership is based off odins ideal leadership (with the grimnyr being based off one of his disguise names).

==Forces of the Kin==

*'''Warlord:''' Retaining their names from the times of Rogue Trader, the [[Squat Warlord|Kin Warlords]] likely play a much similar role to their predecessors, being the military leaders of their leagues.

*'''Kâhl:''' Experienced battle hardened Generals who proudly wield the Leagues advanced weaponry, and are the final authority over an individual Oathband in the Kinhost militaries, they’re subordinate only to their Kindred’s ruling Votannic Council. Their most important role is to cast the Eye of the Ancestors over their foes — marking out priority targets and ensuring the most dangerous enemies are the first to feel the wrath of the Kin. Equipment wise they carry nifty ornate armor and weapons like the Kin equivalent to storm bolter, plasma axes, and Volkite equipped power fists. FOR KARL!!

*'''[[Squat Thunderers|Brôkhyr]]:''' The [[Guildmaster|engineers]] and lead craftsman of the Leagues, named after the dwarf of Norse mythology, Brokkr, who built Mjolnir. They just blow tech priests out of the water on every level, as not only do their (creatively named) A.N-vyl Terminals (just picture a 3D printer but for guns) have MANY full STCs inside that make all their guns all that and a bag of chips in comparison to those of the Imperium, but they're also not limited by dogma and orthodoxy when it comes to technological advancements, meaning they actively upgrade their shit. That being said while their specialty lies in engineering these folks are also more than willing to throw down with the best of them. When the Oathbands head to battle, the Brôkhyr will strap on powerful exo-frames to become the mighty Thunderkyn. Although not quite as scratch-resistant as the Einhyr Hearthguard’s exo-armour, since the powerful suits they wear were initially adapted from rugged engineering rigs, they can still take a hell of a pummeling and allow the Brôkhyr Thunderkyn to heft the heaviest man-portable weapons the Leagues can muster with ease. Hordes of their enemies fall before salvos unleashed from bolt cannons, while heavy infantry find themselves pierced by the unstoppable lances of SP conversion beamers, prospects that have made more than one enemy think twice before attacking them.

*'''Brôkhyr Iron-master:''' The Brôkhyr are the Leagues’ highly skilled techno-artificers, and the Iron-masters are the cream of their crop. They head into battle with a dutiful Ironkin assistant and a knack for repairing even the most beaten-up vehicles. Helping them are a gaggle of E-COGs – hardy combat and repair drones, lacking the intellect of a true Ironkin.

*'''Grimnyr:''' The predominant psykers of the Leagues, dressed like [[weeb|fucking wizards]] in an army full of voidsuits and armor. Their robes cover their Power Armor to the point the [[Dark Angels]] themselves looks like normies. Gone are the days of [[Living Ancestor]]s, as the Kin now name their dwarf wizards after the false identity Odin took while on a bet from Frigg, from Norse Mythology (or ripping off the WHFB dwarf god [[Grimnir]]). Are essentially the Votanns eyes, ears, limbs, mouth, etc. They are able to access directly the data stores of the Votann using psychic powers, and communicates its will and guidance to their Kindreds and Leagues. They are the closet you'll to a priest in the largely secular Leagues. They also use barrier tech to help them harness the raw power of the immaterium in battle – such as summoning two mechanical CORVs that often hover alongside them as familiars (very similar to the ability of the gene stealer cults to summon familiars). Essentially mystical wise old men.

*'''[[Squat Berserkers|Cthonian Berserks]]:''' Hailing from the Cthonian mining guilds which are noted for venturing to environments even other Kin fear to tread, these furious and heavily augmented murder machines are a sci-fi reimagining of [[Slayer]]s from WHFB. These frontline fighters originally began as Kin who enhanced the physical capabilities of their cloneskeins with cybernetic upgrades and cyberstimms, all the better to extract precious minerals from rad-plagued nebulae, explosive asteroids, and fathomless ocean depths. Now tasked with dealing with their people’s enemies they charge into battle with modified advanced mining gear like heavy plasma axes, concussion mauls, and power fists all while wearing little or no armor besides that which their cyborg augmentations provides. They also have mole mortars/ grenade launchers (for mining purposes of course).

*'''Hearthkyn Warriors:''' Because replacing i's with y's is so sci-fi and trademark friendly. The [[Squat Trooper|Hearthkyn]] are essentially identical in terms of origin as the [[Guardian|Guardian Defenders]] of the eldar, in that they are the core infantry force of the Leagues' military that were conscripted from their civilian populations. However, rather than being a militia roused during times of conflict, the Hearthkyn are instead closer to real-world militaries, in that the soldiery serve for an extended period of time before going home to their civilian professions. Serving in the Hearthkyn, anyone can enlist: male, female, flesh or metal, as Kin are Kin, after all. The units themselves are equipped with all manner of hullabaloo Squat guns depending on their specialization, on the lighter end there are the Autoch-pattern bolters used for assault and laying down covering/saturation fire, there are also bolt shotguns, and bolt revolvers. On the heavier side there are volkanite disintegrators, ion blasters (whose technology the Kin apparently gave to the Tau much to the Imperium’s ire) and HYLas auto-rifles all of which are used to sunder the defences of heavily-armoured opponents. Finally there’s also specialized heavy weapons such as L7 missile launchers, EtaCarn plasma beamers, Graviton blast cannons, and magna-rail rifles. All these ranged weapons are supported by smart tech integrated into Kin battlegear. The haptic utility nerve transmission recalibrator modules – HunTR for short – interface with their neural augmetics to establish a feedback loop between firearms and their users. This system projects minute gravitational pulses to maintain a stable firing platform even while running at full pelt – or zooming along on a flying trike. For close combat they got plasma blades, plasma axes, and concussion weapons like gauntlets, hammers, and mauls that amplifies the kinetic energy behind a Kin’s strike enough to launch an Ork boy into the air. As for protection they wear their own brand of power armor called Void armour comprised of hardened jointed segments which are hooked into a void suit beneath. The suit is fashioned from magnaferrite weave, and often reinforced with adamantine and enhanced with microfield generators for a level of protection that any Imperial Guardsman would give their left gonad to have!
**'''Theyn:''' Sci-fi spelling for the old Anglo-Saxon Thegns/Thanes (Fantasy Dwarfs had Thanes as heroes, so another connection there). They are experienced warriors that serve as [[Squat Thunderers|squad leaders]] in Hearthkyn and Einhyr Warrior squads of 10 to 20 warriors and are able to arm themselves with a variety of hand-to-hand combat weapons, including brutal concussion gauntlets, plasma blades, and vicious plasma axes in addition to high quality ranged weapons. Theyns communicate with their squad with the aid of cybernetic implants – relaying strategic instructions from the commanders of the Oathband to their units, and can be differentiated from the other kin by the fancy animal headed crest mounted on the back of their armor.

*'''Einhyr [[Hearthguard]]:''' Named after the Einherjar of Valhalla, they are the newly-christened [[Hearthguard]] Terminators of old, being the honored warriors selected from a Kinhold's most accomplished fighters, clad in [[Exo-Armour]]. They're armed with a shoulder mounted grenade launcher, a hand-held Volkanite Disintegrator, and either a power first with a retractable plasma blade or a Thunder Hammer. Like regular Hearthkyn Void armor the Exo-armor also has the HunTR system of micro gravity field generators built in to help keep their aim steady allowing them to fire on the move.

*'''Einhyr Champion:''' Those who climb the ranks of the Einhyr that eventually became Champions. These warriors are clad in modified exo-armour fitted with mass-drivers for jump purposes and armed with vicious close combat weapons. They function as living battering rams, pulverising anything that gets in their way.

*'''[[Hekaton Land Fortress]]:''' A HECKA CHUNKY Heavy support tank that can double as a defensive emplacement. Packs overwhelming firepower onto a rugged frame, and can lug around a hefty 12 models. It can go toe-to-toe with some of the biggest and best battle tanks in the 41st Millennium thanks to its durable void armour. And it can be equipped with a variety of hefty weapons and devastating warheads – from the very nasty heavy magna-rail cannon to the SP heavy conversion beamer and a missile launcher apparently.

*'''Hernkyn Pioneer:''' THE [[Squat Trike|TRIKES]] RETURN! [[Skub|AS HOVERTRIKES!]] And with a [[-4 Str|female]] driver. It looks like a spider-tank tachikoma from Ghost in the Shell fucked a [[Squat Bike|Harley]] and their baby came out a hoverbike. Hernkyn Pioneers are ridden by independently minded Kin who serve as scouts and outriders for the Kinhosts. They exchange the heavier armor of the Hyrthkin for lighter void suits backed up by armored trench coats, an old style pilot’s cap, and when necessary a gas or oxygen mask. Before you make the mistake of thinking they’re outlaw bikers though it should be noted that they are not seen like that at all amongst their own people. Rather in eyes of the Kin the Pioneers willingness to go off alone is considered courageous and selfless as they are putting their own lives at risk for the sake of their families, in effect making them the equivalent of the WFB Dwarf rangers. Anyway, to ensure they can keep riding for as long as possible the Pioneers make sure to carry any all equipment they might conceivably need with them at all times, from bedrolls to digging tools strapped to their rides. To aid them in scouting their trikes come equipped with multiwave comms arrays and pan-spectral scanners which are all quite useful for picking up strategically important data. Weapons-wise the riders can be armed with a bolt pistol, or a bolt shotgun, and a plasma blade for a backup, while the Trike itself was equipped with a magna-coil autocannon mounted on the front. In addition if the rider is willing to take along a passenger then it’s possible to mount another heavy weapon on the back of the vehicle like a rotary Hy-Las (high yield laser) cannon or whatever else might be needed. These weapons are linked to the driver and passenger’s implants via the HunTR system so they can fire on the move.

*'''[[Sagitaur ATV]]:''' A six wheeled infantry fighting vehicle, that takes its name from the centaur shaped constellation Sagittarius, the Sagitaur is used for surveying inhospitable alien terrain. The Sagitaur is a rapid-response ATV suited to scouting operations and lightning-fast armoured offensives alongside Hernkyn Pioneers. Its armoured carapace is durable enough to shrug off everything from rockslides to plasma blasts. Sagitaurs usually operate in pairs and are remarkably heavily-armed for their size, with a nose-mounted twin bolt cannon complemented by a swivelling turret weapon, such as a HYLas beam cannon, L7 missile launcher, or MATR autocannon. Once they’re right up in the enemy’s lines they will disgorge their troops, in the form of a full squad of infantry which can be split between the two vehicles, who can then go on to seize vital objectives.

*'''[[Ironhead Squat Prospectors]]:''' An offshoot of the Kin lacking a Votann ancestor core that set up shop on [[Necromunda]] right after the Horus Heresy, and are busy doing dwarrowesque things, while also dealing with the locals that sometimes try to loot their stuff. While they're only distantly related to the Leagues with no direct affiliation, they're said to get along. There is a small but not high chance the'll be options on the table top as well since Kill team has a precedent for a small unit from one box being an option like the sister novitiate, at the very least make a good proxy/conversion.

*'''[[Cargo-8 Ridgehauler]]:''' the Squat land trains return! Well they have on Necromunda at least. These huge transport trucks with multiple trailers and strapped on weaponry are used by Squat prospectors and regular human folk to cross the ash wasteland and protect valuable shipments. They aren’t quite up to the standard of the old land trains but at least it’s something.

*'''[[Demiurg]]:''' Largely here because of non-direct confirmation, but WarCom confirmed that the Tau received their ion weapon technology from the Kin, whereas in Battlefleet Gothic they claim that it was from the Demiurg, ''another'' race of dwarf space-miners. Logically, the term "Demiurg" may just be what the Tau call the Kin, or the Demiurg may be another offshoot culture of the wider kin race like prospectors above. After all, their clone-skin’s capability in stressing divergent phenotypes means visibly different strains could possible (like different breeds of dogs or cats). Or they could be just a League like the Seran-Tok Mercantile Leagues that decided to throw in their lot with the upstart T'au Empire rather than being in the bottom of the Imperium's to-do list.
==See Also==
*[[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Leagues of Votann(9E)]]
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:VotannTrike.jpg|They see me dworfin, they hatin', Patrollin', and tryna catch me ridin' dirty.
File:CNiuMZPWWNpatQNt (1).jpg|dorfy thicc dorfy brick
File: FW1NodbWYAA-Gzh.jpg|‘[[StarCraft|Ye want a piece a' me, lad??]]’
File:Sagitaur ATV.jpg| Sagitaur ATV, the perfect vehicle for dropping off some Hearthkyn at the pub for some brewskies on a moons surface.
File:LeagueHold.jpg|One of the many holds in the Leagues, in all it's industrial might
File:Ironkin.jpg|A humble Ironkin, ready to serve for their civilization
File:Getbackintheironkinchen.png|"[[Weeb|UWU.exe]]: I wonder if [[Adeptus Mechanicus|our new friends]] will enjoy these muffins I baked for them? I should head over and see what they're up to!"
File:CthonianBerserks.png|Just another day of cyberstimms and Cyberpsychosis...
File:Wrathoftheancestors.jpg| [[Primaris Captain|Where have I seen that before?]] [https://1d4chan.org/wiki/File:Captain1.jpg Oh.]
File:Kâhl.jpg|Pictured: The '''real''' Space Vikings.
File:Gangoftrikes.jpg
File:VotannPioneer.jpg.webp
File:Leaguemining.jpg|It ain't no trick to get rich quick If you dig dig dig with a shovel or a pick
File:Leagueanvil.jpg
File:Thunderkyn.jpg
File:LOV Army Shot.png
File:Votann Grimnyr.jpg|Finally, the [[Space Wolves|fucking furries]] don't have the monopoly on sweet beards
</gallery>

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]
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