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Troll

2023-06-08T12:13:14Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

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{{Disambiguation|the mythical creature|the shiposters of the internet|Internet Troll}}

'''Trolls''' originated in European mythology, with the iconic forms hailing from Scandinavian myths, though similar creatures like ''[[Oni]]'' or even Bigfoot exist in other cultures. Other than that, it's really hard to pin down what a "troll" officially is. According to [[TVTropes]], this is because whenever one european culture didn't have a word for one of the monsters in another one's folklore, it was translated simply as "troll." Often they're big dumb brutes who turn to stone in sun light; one of the most well-known examples of these in fantasy literature would be the three trolls in [[Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Hobbit]]''. Norse myths go further and say these trolls are descended from or otherwise related to [[giant]]s, or ''Jötnar''. Other times, they are portrayed as smaller, social beings that can turn invisible and hoard gold and treasure, a bit like [[dwarf|dwarves]] or [[gnome]]s. They're usually portrayed as fairly ugly, but not always; female trolls being [[monstergirls|surprisingly gorgeous, if inhuman]] isn't unheard of - for example, the Scandinavian [[Huldra]] is technically a female troll, but looks more like a [[nymph]] with a fox's or cow's tail, and/or a back that is either covered in bark or "hollow like a rotting tree", who just so happens to be as strong as ten men and very interested in securing a human husband.

In fantasy gaming, trolls are typically the next step up from or equivalent to [[ogre]]s in the scale of "monstrous humanoids". Generally regarded as being [[giant-kin]], due to the [[giant]]/troll/[[ogre]] overlap in European folklore, trolls are usually portrayed as being incredibly dim-witted but savage, strong and tough. They may also have one or two innate magical abilities to further differentiate them from ogres, with the most iconic of these being the ability to regenerate, thanks to the influence of [[Dungeons & Dragons]].

==D&D==
[[File:Troll MC 2e.jpg|right|300px|thumb|"Come give granny a hug!"]]
The [[Dungeons & Dragons]] Troll (and, by extension, the [[Pathfinder]] Troll) is a lesser [[giant]]-offshoot race who are somewhere between [[ogre]]s and [[Hill Giant|hill giants]] in size, but not quite as stupid as either. However, they are still utterly savage due to an intense hunger, a side-effect of their powerful regenerative abilities. Nullified only by acid or fire, trollish regeneration has risen and fallen in terms of raw power over the edition - back in [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]], for example, they literally ''could not die'' unless you burned the corpse with fire or chemicals, although certain "bodily destructive" spells like Disintegrate or Petrify could usually kill them as well, if your DM agreed.

Also, to those who look at the illustrations of each take on the common troll, it seems that every new edition, trolls get less wrinkly, less skinny, more buff, and their eyes become more noticeable.

D&D trolls were also highly mutable, with many different varieties arising as a result of dwelling place (the Scrags are amphibious trolls who need to be immersed in water to regenerate) or a result of hybridization with other giants (two-headed trolls descending from troll/[[ettin]] crossbreeding). Between the sheer variety of trolls, plus the addition of templates in 3.5, fighting them could be just as frustrating as fighting [[slime]]s as you tried to figure out what you were battling (for example, is it a Rock Troll, who only dies to Acid or Sonic Attacks? Or a Fire Troll, who only dies to Cold and Acid?) and how to kill it. In fact, with the right templates, a killer DM style [[GM|gamesmaster]] could build a troll you could only kill if you ''strangled or drowned it''.

Before you ask why D&D trolls regenerate, apparently it's because they were inspired by Poul Anderson’s ''Three Hearts and Three Lions'', where regenerating trolls are an enemy defeated at one point.

D&D Trolls have their own [[god]] (or at least [[Demon Prince]]) named [[Vaprak]], whom they share with [[Ogres]]. They are usually said to hate all non-evil [[giant]]s.

And they suffer [[nilbog]]ism, becoming the Llort. If you think [[Fiend Factory]] deserves a hearing after disgracing itself with the [[Fiend Folio]], in which case you are a more forgiving person that most of us here.

In AD&D, trolls are stated to be matriarchal, living in small packs of 3-12 led by a dominant female, who gets her pick of the best males as her mates (producing a single pup about once every five years) and enforces her rule through beating the ever-living shit out of any uppity lesser females - and given trollish healing powers, these are ''bloody'' battles indeed, with the winner traditionally ripping the loser's head off to see if they'll survive the week or so it'll take for the head to grow back. The chieftess also doubles as the pack's [[shaman]], functioning as a 7th level [[cleric]] who typically has access to the Spheres of Charm, Divination, Darkness and Weather. Her main role is leading the hunt for food.

===D&D Troll Variants===
'''[[Scrag]]s''' are an amphibious troll breed.

'''Giant Trolls''' are the halfbreed bastard children of trolls and [[Hill Giant]]s, imbuing them with the size and stature of the larger giant-kin. Whilst they lack the formidable fangs of a regular troll, the ability to use a tree (or the average [[human]]) as a club and beat fuckers to death with it tends to make up for this lack, as does their ability to grab boulders and hurl them at anyone they don't like. Hill giant chieftains often keep them as elite guards, and when not found in a hill giant clan, giant trolls still tend to roam in packs of 1d12, served by vassal packs of 2d6 regular trolls - who often end up as snacks for their bigger relatives if the hunting goes poorly! Giant Trolls can be killed with fire.

'''2-Headed Giant Trolls''' are what you get when a troll shags an [[Ettin]]. They're less formidable than their half-[[Hill Giant]] counterparts, but still a formidable threat, and often serve as leaders for regular troll packs.

'''Desert Trolls''' have adapted to life in the scorching desert, which has made them immune to normal fire - to kill them, you need to use acid, magical fire, or clean water, which now dissolves their flesh like acid (especially pure or holy water is doubly effective). These trolls are tougher and more tenacious than their more common counterparts, but they are also more solitary. They skulk at the edges of settled areas, waylaying travelers and polluting sources of pure water.

'''Ice Trolls''' are smaller but smarter than regular trolls, and inhabit icy areas, typically fighting for dominance with neighboring Snow Trolls. Like [[scrag]]s, they can only regenerate if they are touching water. They are immune to cold (regular or magical) and to non-enchanted physical weapons, take double damage from fire, and have their regeneration nullified by fire and acid. Ice trolls live near settled regions, hoping to waylay and capture humans and demi-humans, even going so far as to use treasure from their victims to bait [[bandit]]s and [[adventurer]]s - when humanoid flesh is unavailable, they hunt for animals and steal livestock. They often capture humanoids alive and keep them well-fed until it's time for dinner. They have been known to hunt [[remorhaz]] and even pick off lone [[Frost Giant]]s.

'''Snow Trolls''' are another frostfell-dwelling troll variant - not as organized as their Ice Troll rivals and lacking their resistance to unenchanted weaponry, but their regeneration is much more potent and they are much nastier. These trolls always hunt alone, or at most as a mother/young child pair. Each third year, dozens or even hundreds of snow trolls gather in the mid-winter darkness to mate in dark mountain valleys unknown to other creatures.

'''Spectral Trolls''', also known as Troll Wraiths, are [[undead]] trolls cursed to take material form only in darkness, where they appear as regular trolls with jet black hair and skin. They are only vulnerable to silver and magical weapons, and can be [[Turn Undead|turned]] as if they were [[spectre]]s. A humanoid slain by a spectral troll becomes one itself in three days, unless a proper burial ceremony is performed by a priest of the victim’s religion. Spectral trolls vanish in direct sunlight. They do not take damage from sunlight, they merely fade from view and reappear at the same spot at nightfall. Even those captured, unconscious, or trapped in temporal stasis have escaped permanent imprisonment in this manner.

'''Spirit Trolls''' are either a mutated form of Spectral Troll or a hybrid of troll and [[Invisible Stalker]], depending on who you ask. Naturally invisible and immune to unenchanted weapons and cold, they are vulnerable to fire. They attack with a [[Strength]]-sapping and a bite attack that allows the spirit troll to heal itself by draining the victim's life.

'''Legacy Trolls''' are mutated [[scrag]]s from the [[Red Steel]] subsetting of [[Mystara]].

'''Troll Mutates''' are trolls who have lived in close proximity to a portal or dimensional bleedover from the [[Far Realm]], which has resulted in their regeneration going haywire and producing horrific mutations, which only multiple as the mutate takes further damage and its warped healing factor is pushed to its limit. The typical troll mutate has multiple eyes and a third arm, whilst the pack matriarch, who drives off or devours any rival females, tends to have two heads, [[psionics|mental wild talents]], and a prehensile tentacle-tail. Mutated packs spend much of their time merely surviving, for they share their environment with roving bands of [[Far Realm]]-derived horrors, such as brood [[gibberling]]s, [[Gibbering Mouther]]s, and [[myconid]] work bands. (The myconids are not particularly dangerous to the trolls, but are eaten with gusto.) These trolls appeared in the Firestorm Peak adventure, so all lore for them only describes a single tribe.

===D&D Troll PCs===
In BECMI, Trolls were amongst the "humanoid" races given a PC writeup in the Orcs of Thar splatbook. They stand out for having the highest XP requirements in the game, but between their regeneration ability and the ridiculously high (for the edition) number of hit points they were scoring? It was kind of justified.

::Troll Ability Modifiers: +2 Strength, -2 Dexterity, -2 Intelligent, -2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma
::Troll Minimum Strength: 16
::Note: Like all Humanoids from "The Orcs of Thar", a Troll has racial ability score caps of 18 in all scores bar [[Intelligence]] and [[Wisdom]], which are capped at 16.
::Note: Like all Humanoids from "The Orcs of Thar", a Troll determines its [[Charisma]] score for interacting with [[human]]s and [[demihuman]]s by dividing its Charisma score by 3 (rounding down) and subtacting the result from - not the normal 9, but an 8, such is their terrifying appearance and reputation.
::Troll Natural Armor Class: 9
::Troll PCs retain their [[Regeneration]] (starts healing 3 rounds after first injured, heals 3 hit points per round, can't regenerate wounds inflicted by fire/acid, can't die unless destroyed with fire/acid), but this ability doesn't develop until they reach Normal Monster status (Level 0).
::Can become a [[Shaman]] (4th level) or a [[Wokani]] (2nd level).

{| class=wikitable
!Troll's level || XP Required || Troll's hit dice
|-
|Whelp (-3)||-35,200||3d8+2
|-
|Youngster (-2)||-26,400||4d8+2
|-
|Teenager (-1)||-17,600||5d8+3
|-
|0||0||6d8+3
|-
|1||35,200||7d8+4
|-
|2||105,600||8d8+4
|-
|3||246,400||-
|-
|4||528,000||9d8+5
|-
|5||828,000||10d8+5
|-
|6||1,128,000||11d8+5
|-
|7||1,428,000||-
|-
|8||1,728,000||12d8+5
|-
|9||2,028,000||+2 Hit Points
|-
|Subsequent||300,000||+2 Hit Points
|}

===Gallery===
<gallery>
Troll 1e.jpg|1e
troll kobold REF3.png
Troll MM 2e.png|2e
Troll Night Below 1.jpg
Troll Night Below 2.jpg
Troll mutate MCAV4.jpg|Mutant Troll
Troll 3e.jpg|3e
Troll Ravenloft DMG.jpg
Troll 4e.jpg|4e
Troll 5e.jpg|5e
Troll B1.png|Pathfinder
</gallery>

{{D&D1e-Races}}
[[Category: Giants]]

==[[Warmachine| Hordes]]==
Trolls in the Hordes are a '''very''' different ballgame from your typical depiction. They come in a wide variety of subspecies from the huge dire trolls that are closer to your standard monster trolls, and the comparatively smaller trollkin who make up the bulk of the [[Trollbloods]] faction. Trollkin are as intelligent and civilized as humans, though they are less advanced technology which leads to a lot of oppression from humans. On the whole they are closer to the heroic variety orcs than your standard trolls.

==Shadowrun==
In [[Shadowrun]], trolls are essentially the game's equivalent to [[ogre]]s, being a relative of the [[orc]] metahuman strain who grows even larger and more powerful, with pronounced bony growths, mostly in the form of long, curling, ram-like horns sprouting from the skull. 4th edition introduced racial metavariants, mostly centered in the appropriate geographical areas, who naturally were named Cyclops(Mediterranian- One eye, few horns and bony growths, but bigger muscles), [[Minotaur]]s(Also Mediterranian- bigger horns, wide, flared nostils, and more body hair), [[Giant]]s(Germany, Scandinavia, and northeastern Europe- about 10' tall, No horns or dermal deposits, leathery skin), Fomori(British Isles- Smaller and no demal deposits, but better with and against magic. Also slightly prettier).

==Warhammer==
In [[Warhammer]] Fantasy, trolls are one of the races allied with the [[Orcs & Goblins]] army, being one of the few creatures even stupider and more brutal than the greenskins. These ogre-like [[Chaos]]-touched humanoids are mindless predators, who'll eat just about anything courtesy of hyper-corrosive stomach juices. This meant that not only could they regenerate and appear in mutant varieties for more killing power (rock trolls that were magic resistant due to turning partially into living stone as a result of eating too much rock, for example), but they could also wipe out whole regiments of heavily armoured foes by puking on them. For many years GeeDubs had managed to acquire (re: Throw some food towards and then beat them around the head) some Stone Trolls to provide menial labour in their Mail Order division. However after a dispute, they demanded to be renamed something less conspicuous to what they actually were. After all, it is hard to kill and eat interns if they can see the obvious signs of troll life in the warehouse. Renamed to 'Troggoth' in [[Age of Sigmar]] and grouped into [[Gloomspite Gitz]]. Varieties in Warhammer Fantasy included Common Trolls, River Trolls, Stone Trolls, Sea Trolls or "Shugons", Chaos Trolls, Bile Trolls of Nurgle, 3 Armed Mutant Trolls bred by Clan Moulder, Ice Trolls of Norsca, and Magma Trolls bred by the Chaos Dwarfs who must be an absolute bitch to kill with their fire resistance. In Age of Sigmar, returning and new Troggoths included Sourbreath Troggoths (Common Trolls), Fellwater Troggoths (River Trolls), Rockgut Troggoths (Stone Trolls), Deepwater Troggoths (Shugons/Sea Trolls), Dankhold Troggoths (Fungus-covered Cave Trolls), Sulphurbreath Troggoths (Magma Trolls), Sloggoths (a new breed of quadrupedal scavenger troll), Mirebrute Troggoths (a more brutish species of swamp troggoth), Bile Troggoths (Bile Trolls, duh), and the Angujakkak, a kaiju-sized hybrid of Deepwater Troggoth and Mega-Squids, who appear as giant, see-through skin having beasts of the sea, one of whom defends a Free City. Trolls also apparently exist on planet Fenris in Warhammer 40K in the form of Ice Trolls, who utilize trees as clubs and are semi-sentient, along with smaller relatives referred to as Ice Fiends, who are described as being similar to descriptions of Yeti.

==Monster Hunter International==
[[Monster Hunter International]] Trolls are much like the D&D Troll. They are big, green, ugly, strong and regenerate while being weak to fire. There's one critical difference though: They're also highly proficient at non-in-person communication methods. In the past they were primarily mail and phone scammers (eg Nigerian prince). Now they are hackers and, yes, '''internet''' trolls.

==Monstergirls==
[[File:MGE Troll.jpg|thumb|right|250px|With how diversely trolls look, this is a perfectly legitimate depiction of a female troll. (No we don't know where her nipples are either)]]

{{monstergirls}}

Troll [[monstergirl]]s are a touch rare, mostly because, due to what defines a troll being so diverse, they are all-too-often easily confused with [[ogre]] monster-girls.

An artist called F.K. Andersson (now known as [https://www.deviantart.com/derangedmeowmeow DerangedMeowMeow]) portrays his female trolls as inspired by Shadowrun's trolls; tall, curvaceous [[musclegirl]]s with lion-like tails, cute little tusks, and curling ram-like horns. They regularly seek out humans to interbreed with (as do their male counterparts, who are likewise portrayed as fairly handsome) because prolonged interbreeding with only trolls causes them to devolve into hideous, mindless monsters, forcing them to regularly "supplement" their blood with human blood. Still, the couples tend to be happy.

The [[Huldra]] is an actual mythical "troll" who is portrayed as being both very attractive and very interested in winning herself a human husband.

The [[Monster Girl Encyclopedia]] bases its trolls on Germanic myths, predominantly Swedish; their trolls are shy, gentle and affectionate humanoids with big ears, oversized hands & feet, and cute little cow-like tails. They suffer an inferiority complex about their appendages, as well as their strongly arousing feminine musk, and so decorate themselves with flowers to try and make themselves "look pretty". They possess a powerful natural affinity for earth [[elementalism]], and some forward-thinking individuals have actually sought them out as brides, hoping that when the Demon Lord finally gets past the Chief God's "no men born of monsters!" curse, their sons will likewise be powerful [[wizard]]s with prodigious affinity for the magics of earth and plants.

[[Category:Monsters]] [[Category: Roleplaying]]

Warhammer Underworlds

2023-06-08T12:11:32Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

[[File:WHU Logo.png|450px|center]]
Warhammer Underworlds is a Specialist Game released by [[Games Workshop]], situated in the shadowy city of Shadespire, where warbands battle in the streets for glory or to gain "shadeglass", a substance that can confer eternal life. It combines the easy-to-pick-up nature and deck-building from [[X-Wing]] with the setting of [[Age of Sigmar]], an unholy fusion of the two most addictive hobbies to grace nerddom. Geedubs banked on this being a competitive tournament game, with contests already being planned even before all the factions were released, and their gamble paid off big time.

The first block, '''Shadespire''', began with Stormcast Eternals and Khorne Bloodbound (as was the standard with early AoS) with all the bitz needed to play the game. In November the first wave of expansions launched, releasing skeletons and [[Orruk Warclans|orruks]]. In February the second wave brought [[Fyreslayers]] and [[Skaven]]. April of 2018 saw the closing of the first block with Vanguard Hunters and Blood Warriors, with confirmation that the second block, '''Nightvault''', would include the Sacrosanct Chamber, [[Nighthaunt|spoopy ghosts]], and rules for magic; on the horizon are shroomy biggies and squiggies, grots, chaos barbarians, elf-tree-elves, [[Kharadron Overlords|dakka dwarves]], and [[Just As Planned]] boys. A third block was released in 2020, titled '''Beastgrave'''. 2021 saw the release of the fourth block, '''Direchasm''', which followed the lore consequences of the Broken Realms event. Next block, '''Harrowdeep''', takes place under Ulgu's sea, followed up by '''Nethermaze''' block.

The game has a budding but dedicated competitive environment with regulated lists, banned cards and all that. As it stands, the game is fairly balanced apart from a few bottom-tier Warbands that need some real skills to make work properly. However, any good player can make a semi-competitive list work with a little elbow grease and luck. [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaJd8oVbhoseNRlkH8c2-RmGDI4Jd0l34 You can learn the basics here]

Be aware that all models up to Beastgrave are officially out of production and cannot be purchased anymore. Not just the cards, but the models themselves are gone. This will make it hard to be a collector for this game if this trend continues into later seasons.

==The Setting==
[[File:Shadespire-Factions-Image1jrcn.jpg|450px|thumb|right|Oh no, I hate it when a [[Nagash|Skeleton Lich-Overlord]] screams broken mirrors out on me and my friends!]]
At the edge of the Desert of Bones in Shyish, the Realm of Death, was a great city called Shadespire. The people living in it had managed to create some sort of magical mirror-like substance called "Shadeglass", which let the souls of their dead live on in mirrors put up everywhere around the city, keeping their knowledge and powers safe for future generations to use for the city’s betterment. Naturally, this didn't sit too well with [[Nagash]], who wasn't fond of ''once again'' getting cheated out of his (imagined) tithe of death. So, to get back at those arrogant Shadespirers, he threw the entire fucking city out between the Realm of Shadow and Light in the endless void, trapping everyone inside to live out an eternity of kinda-torment until they petition themselves to him voluntarily. An unliving husk is left of Shadespire in Shyish, but the actual city, now out in the nothingness, has become impossibly vast, but fragmented and all messed up, so you never know if you can find that favorite In-And-Out Burger you love so much after you leave it.

To the surprise of no one, the destruction of Shadespire inspired legions of looters to ransack the physical ruins for Shadeglass and other riches. Unfortunately, anyone who goes just a bit too far into the city will find themselves with a one-way ticket to Shadespire for an eternity of bloodshed. With nothing better to do, the different Warbands caught in Shadespire fight it out to the bloody death for kicks - they can't die permanently anyway, as the city resurrects them within days.

The Beastgrave block shifts the setting, as a crack in reality caused by the Necroquake allows the O.G warbands to escape the city. Unfortunately, this leads them to the titular Beastgrave, a sentient and malevolent mountain in the Realm of Beasts that has a habit of luring in adventurers in the hopes of consuming them.

While the setting and the idea of "Warbands" might cause a few of you [[Mordheim]] players to awake from your eternal slumber, be warned that the Warbands aren't customizable ''at all''. These guys are not [[Your Dudes|your dudes]], they are unique characters with names and such, so if you wanted to make your own guys, this isn't your game.

...Unless [[Proxy]]. In a friendly setting, theres nothing stopping you converting up some Savage Orcs to be Garrek's Reavers, or Magore's Fiends as some Mercenary Knights with loyal doge. Perhaps your Farstriders are actually Dorf Ironbreakers with drakefire pistols instead of stupid crossbow-pistols, or turn Spiteclaws Swarm into lizardmen. As long as you (and your opponent) know who's what and what's who, anything is fair game.

==The Game==
The game is played between two players (with a possibility for up to four players) on hex-grid boards, with the goal of gaining as many <s>Victory</s> '''Glory Points''' as possible before the end of the game. You gain G<s>l</s>ory Points by either killing enemy models or by achieving Objective Cards, which you draw before the game starts. This means that you can win a game even if your entire Warband is killed off. The only thing that matters is gaining more Glory Points than the opponent.

A game is three turns of four activations each, for a total of twelve activation per person. If this sounds quick, it's because it fucking is: two players who know the rules can easily play a full game in twenty minutes or less. In tournaments, a match is almost sure to be three games in a row and tournaments are intended to be best of 3.

At the start of every game, the players roll off and the loser chooses how to place the first hex-board, with the second player placing the other board in such a way that the hexes connects properly and at least three hexes are connected. Board placement can have a drastic effect on the game, as each board side has its own starting positions and such. Then the players roll off again, the winning player choosing who is placing their models on the starting positions on their own board side first.

The players take turns doing Activations; four Activations each per Turn. An Activation lets you do one of these Actions:

* Move a model. Each model can only move once per Turn. There are tokens to indicate which models have moved.
* Attack an enemy model within reach. For each friendly model in base contact with the enemy model apart from the attacking model, the attacker hits easier (presumably as his bud holds the enemy down to the curb while your attacking models winds up his stompin’ boot). Ranged attacks go through models, but not terrain, which can make certain models a real fucking pain in the ass when they get Inspired and have Supporters on their attacks.
* Charge an enemy model, which is a Move followed by an Attack. Models cannot be activated after Charging, so use it wisely. There's also little tokens to indicate what models have charged.
* Guard with a Friendly model. This allows your model to use '''both''' Dodge and Block on the Defence die, which can help a lot if your’re a fucking human with 2 Wounds and one Dodge, which is like half the Khorne Warband. Models lose Guard if they charge in the same turn.
* Draw a Power Card. Generally don't use this; you get new Power Cards each Turn and your Activations are precious. This is nearly mandatory if you are running a SCE katophrane deck, as you will want to get your gribbly hands on to those relics.
* Discard and draw an Objective Card. Again, don't do this unless you're boned. Still, this is remarkably more useful than the other Draw option, since you can't replace your Objective Cards ever, and they win you the game if you have the proper set.

After each of your Activations you may play Power Cards which come in different flavours:
'''Ploys''', which are free and do all sorts of interesting shit after playing them, like moving guys around or stealing the enemy's Glory Points. The other Power Card type are '''Upgrades''', which cost Glory Points (put doesn't remove them - They still count as "Victory Points" even if used to buy an Upgrade), and are permanent upgrades to your models. Ploys make or break the game; have as many Ploys as you can (up to half of your deck) in the Power Deck and choose them very carefully. After you have played a Power Card, your opponent may do the same, then you can play one and so on, until both calls. With this, the opposing player gets to Activate.
Some cards are also '''Reactions''' which are played <s>like [[magic the gathering]]</s> as a counter or response to certain enemy actions, their power cards or things that have happened to your dudes.

Each model is unqiue and have an [[Anime|INSPIRED MOOOOODE!]] When the model's Inspire requirement is met, you flip the card and use the profile on the other side which usually includes new attacks and better stats. For some Warbands this is just a nice little bonus, but for others, like the Reavers, it's their entire thing and what you should build your decks around.

===Deck-Building===
[[File:Shadespire-DeckBuilding101-Cards1krs.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Two Objective Cards.]]
So that's pretty simple, but this is where Warbands and deck-building comes into it.

Each player has two decks; a Power Deck of 20 cards (or more) with at least 50% of your cards being upgrades and an Objective Deck of at least 12 cards as of Harrowdeep. A large amount of the cards available are Neutral and usable by everyone, but there's a good amount of Faction Cards that only the specific Warband can use.

The Objective Deck is the one that will win you the game, since it has the collection of cards that will award you Glory Points. Your choice of Objective Cards is crucial for your gameplan, and ideally you should have a combination of high-risk, five Glory Points cards and the easy-to-claim one Glory Point cards to tackle those situations where RNG fucked you over.

The Power Deck is the one where your Ploys (aforementioned God-cards of Awesome, dagger symbol) and Upgrades (eh, gear symbols) goes. They should help you achieve your Objectives obviously, but some are just so good that they should be in all decks if you can make them fit. Cards like Confusion (switch two models in base contact) and Sidestep (Friendly model moves one Hex) are awesome to help you get into bashing range without using Activations on Move Actions. Generally, anything that gives some additional movement fucking rocks. Only half of your deck can be Ploys. Starting with Nightvault, Spells are also added as a part of the Power Deck.

If you need advice, GW put some example decks up on their website based on dev team recommendations and decks that won major tournaments.

GW has decided balance will be maintained by a banned and restricted list. Only three cards are banned, but restricted forced a big hit on aggressive warbands. Unlike other restricted lists you can only choose three (previously five) cards from the whole restricted list. Good luck with that.

==Warbands==
Each block consists of at least eight Warbands. The two first Warbands can be found in the block's starter pack, with the rest being released over time. During the block or season, as each year a new block is released, can include new tiles, terrain and extra card packs

===Shadespire Block===
[[File:Shadspire.png|center|700px|Shadespire Block]]
====Steelheart's Champions====
[[File:60010799005 ShadespireENG03.jpg|right|250px|Steelheart's Champions]]
The first Stormcast Eternal Warband and tied for the smallest group currently in the game with the other Stormcast Warbands. Liberator-Prime Steelheart and his two roadtrip buds went to Shadespire to find a cure to the increasing hollowness that plagues Stormcasts when they get reforged, and they're not even gonna try to get out of the city before they have it!

The melee-oriented Stormcast Warband is among the tougher and slower Warbands, and all their attacks hits fairly easily and hits like a bullet train. Their Inspire comes into play when they successfully roll a Shield or Critical on defense, which causes them to gain [[Nurgle]]-like toughness and additional attacks... But you'll need to strike a precarious balance because before that, even your four Wound won't save you from attacks; and with only three models, each casualty will severely hurt your board presence and ability to gain Glory Points. Another issue is that Steelheart McLanternjaw, the leader of the Warband, ironically is the least useful model, with no specific role to fill in.

The SC cards are pretty simple - Not bad, just simple. Your opponent will often know what your decks are about the moment you place just one set of gold-plated buttcheeks on the board, but that might necessarily be that much of an issue. It just means that the Champions are a very steady Warband that can take a beating and still work towards their goals.

They are tough, but slow, and warbands like the <s>Orruks</s>, <s>Orcs</s>, <s>Orkz</s>, DA BOYZ with access to a lot of cleave can cause a lot of trouble.

[[File:60010799005 ShadespireENG05.jpg|right|250px|Garrek's Reavers]]

====Garrek's Reavers====
No Stormcasts without the cannibals in red! They don’t even say why they’re there; maybe [[Warhammer:_Age_of_Sigmar#Khorne_Bloodbound|Bloodbound]] just appear spontanously where Stormbois go, like a really sick sort of intestinal disease that usually follows a McDonalds menu? The Reavers is widely considered one of, if not the most difficult Warband to pilot currently in the game... But when they get rolling, they get fucking *rolling*!

The Reavers have five models, varying from pretty okay to absolutely awful. They’re all pretty fast and get faster yet when Inspired, and has a model for every situation - the issue is, they fall like flies to even the slightest attack, with two of the Reavers literally having [[Fail|2 Wounds and 1 Dodge]] (which is the worst defense in the game), and the others are only marginally better. However, this is also the Reavers’ trump card, because when '''any''' three models in the game are taken Out of Action, *all* Reavers become Inspired, which turns them into some of the most dangerous models in the game! Saek and Garrek himself gets particularly nasty, with very powerful attacks and high movement. When this is combined with the frankly fantastic Reaver Upgrades and Ploys, this Warband goes from weedy to scary in no time. There's a mixed bag included Axe-Chain-Man with the power of axes on a chain allowing ranged melee attacks and Stabbins McGee who can make lots of attacks. By having 5 Speedy Khornezales grabbing objectives is easy, but they drop like flies. When playing, don't under-estimate Arnulf or Targor just because they are your weakest guys. Inspired and with a few standard upgrades, Arnulf or Targor can become killing machines capable of one-shotting most fighters with a little luck. The beauty of Garrek's Reavers is that playing clever can make even the most daunting matchup winnable, and a single deck build can give you thousands of possibilities.

=====Reaver Decks=====
*'''Aggro Reavers:''' How a warband of Khorne-worshipping mortals who come back to life should play - Fast and hard! Aggro Reavers aims to start the game by attempting to kill as many enemy models as possible before Arnulf and Targor eventually dies by a stiff breeze, which should allow you to become Inspired. Then you pile on the upgrades on Saek, Garrek and Karsus and go to town. These builds are meant to burn like crazy, with loads of easy-to-use reactionary Ploys and great Upgrades that allow your golden boys to reave havoc; most games you'll end with an empty Power Deck! This is not an easy deck to run however, as it requires you to weigh the sacrifices you are going to have to make to be Inspired - if you're not careful, you'll just bloody yourself, like punching yourself in the nose.
**'''Karsus Unleashed:''' A variant of the Aggro Reavers that puts most of their Upgrades on Karsus. He's got a Range 2 attack as well as an "attack-everything-within-Range-1" attack, both which benefit massively by Upgrades like Great Strength (+1 Damage to all attacks). Place him somewhere were he gets support from the other models and let him go to town from a safe distance.
*'''Objective Reavers:''' Believe it or not, Khorne cultists play a fairly strong Objective game. The Reavers are fast and have quite a few models with allows you to cover most of the board quickly. With the addition of the Move buff from Inspired and Ploys like Sidestep (Move a friendly model one Hex) or Sprint (Next Move is doubled), the Khorne guys are among the fastest Warbands in the game. Only issue is that they aren't very tough compared to other Objective decks, so more bashy Warbands can ruin your day by throwing your bare-torsoed-ass around.

====Ironskull's Boyz====
[[File:60120709001 IronskullsBoyzENG02.jpg|right|250px|Ironskull's Boyz]]
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHH!!!!
The 'Ardboyz representing green power. These guys have been stuck in the city for a while(decades) after a looting spree gone wrong. At first the leader, Gurzag Ironskull, did not like it one bit but after the years has grown rather fond of the place. [[Tuska Daemon-Killa|What with an endless cycle of battle and bloodshed, this place is actually rather nice for an Orruk]].

These guys are one of the simpler teams to play and is great for beginners. They are tough as hell, have alright movement and hard hitting power from 2 of the 4 members. They inspire simply by taking damage which is rather easy as only a few combos can one-shot these monsters of melee (EDIT: Obviously this was before the COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED power creep in the last expansion block. Now they can die on turn 1. Not that they really care.). Most of their unique Ploys are made to essentially break the game; making extra moves and attacks, making moves after attacking or attacking after moves and so on and so forth. Combining these Ploys in one Activation can cause you to play an entire Turn in a single Activation, clutching a win from defeat at lightning speed! Almost all their objectives focus on them hitting enemies, so don't include all of them in one deck. The orcs aren't suited for Objective play either; they just don't have the movement to claim a lot of Objectives in time.

Their main weakness is Hakka and Basha, whose damage sucks up to several colors of chode, even after they're Inspired. However, with some clever use of Upgrades they can get alright. They are also very predictable to play against, predictable in their unpredictability in a sense. While their Ploys can mess up the game, that's what they have to play with mostly. This isn't that bad though; you've still got 17 Wounds with good Defense, so whatever the enemy can throw at you, you can probably take it in stride.

Ironskull's Boyz used to be a tournament winning warband, and were able to stomp down any other warband in its heyday. Now Ironskull's Boyz is consistently considered one of the worst warbands in the entire game in Championship Format (the standard card rotation system that GW's rule writers have implemented). This mainly comes from their inspire condition being a little outdated (taking damage to inspire is easy, but automatically puts you on the backfoot), their faction specific cards being extremely basic, and from Hakka and Basha being absolute shit. Gurzag can still do well on his own, and he is genuinely a good fighter compared to a slew of others; however, his own strengths are not enough to make up for the weakness of the rest of his deck.

=====Orruk Decks=====
*'''Grind-Out Orruks:''' With four tough-as-nails boyz that actually like to take damage, you've got no reason not to throw them into the fire and let them roast. The main difference between you and most Warbands is that ''you'' can take it; they usually can't! This deck-type needs a keen eye for opportunities and openings to exploit, as well as a tactican's mind to utilize your Ploys and Upgrades well. For example, don't burn Power Cards on a dude who's probably gonna die soon, and never think that even Basha or Hakka can't do their share; even a single Wound of Damage can make a great difference. This deck uses Brutal but Kunnin' (Make a Move after an Attack), Kunnin' but Brutal (Take a guess), 'Avin' A Good Time (50/50 chance of making an extra attack) to squeeze the most value out of each dude, as well as upgrades like Daemonic Weapon (Dude gets a nasty-ass attack) and 'Ard Head (Hakka or Basha takes a permanent -1 Damage) to boost Basha and Hakka to true killyness.
*'''"You On Da List?":''' Also called Board Orcs or Bouncer Orcs, this is a deck based on three Objective Cards that can give fucking '''8''' Glory Points by the end of the game, with the same requirements basically! These three are Denial (Enemy models didn't end on your board), Contained (Enemy models ended in their Board entirely) and Conquerors (All your models ended in the enemy board), which, as you can imagine, can win you almost any game immediately. Here's the issue - Almost all players who've lost to this before will do ''everything'' they can to stop you, Sprinting to the end of your board side to ruin your life. This is why you'll want to make like Blood Bowl and wall the fuck up at the No-Mans Land between the boards, hopefully stopping any intruders. Your deck should also be filled up by defensive and supportive Ploys and Upgrades like Great Toughness (+1 Wound), Unkillable (When Gurzag is killed, 50/50 chance he lives), Healing Potion (Heal 1 or 2 Wounds) and 'Ard Head (Hakka or Basha takes -1 Wounds) to increase your staying power. Note that most of the Nightvault Warbands have a hard counter for this: the Thorns of the Briar Queen can pass right through you, the Eyes of the Nine can summon their Horror into your starting hexes, and Zarbag's Gitz can make mass moves on top of the fact there's twice as many of them as there are of you.

[[File:Shadespire-WarbandsSkeletons.jpg|right|250px|Sepulchral Guard]]

====Sepulchral Guard====
The remains of several of Shadespire's unfortunate inhabitants, now turned to the service of Nagash in the hopes that he will forgive their insolence (and put them out of their misery). Their boss was once the last Lord Marshal of Shadespire.

Skellington Skwad weighs in with 7 dead guys; there's Spear McGiblets the leader who, despite the cool models armor and spear, needs to hide like a <s>bitch</s> boss at the back because only he can resurrect your dead undead. Did we mention that re-animating two skellymans makes him Inspired? Put simply if you play this band you will activate Boss Skellington most of the 12 actions, and striking the right balance between moving your squishy guys forward to let them get krumped, bringing them back in their more powerful form and actually activating them to have them do shit will win or lose you the game.

There's 2 hero guys, basically skeleton warriors - a mace dude (The Prince) and the sword dude (The Champion) - these guys can actually get shit done and benefit from the better upgrades. They can be resurrected by Spear McGiblets which as is normal (for animated necromantic skeletons) Inspires them. Then there's the remains of Farmer Maggot with his kick ass scythe. This can hit all adjacent foes giving you some area of attack. Finally there's 3 petitioners which at the moment are the worst models in the game - move 2, piss poor attacks. In fact most of your dudes attacks and defence are rubbish, however the upgrades let you take extra attacks or let you get support on actions even if you don't have the models in the right place.

Arena Mortis: Beastgrave was strange for many players, as Sepulchral Guard and the rest of the Shadespire warbands were no longer in print due to GW's season system. This sidegame, which gave mostly non-competitive cards that were made for Arena Mortis that you could include in your regular warbands, were chock full of cards which had keywords that directly benefitted the Sepulchral Guard warband. Not only that, but it gave a buffed/changed version of McGiblets. If you want to play Sepulchral Guard, try your damndest to get Arena Mortis: Beastgrave before it is out of print, because it will totally change your entire warband.

By having 7 models combined with McGiblets' ability to move 2 other skeletons allows you to zerg your opponent and capture objectives. Just be aware that the skeletons are pretty squishy and most warbands won't have much trouble smashing through them - just as well they get back up! Building your deck with the right mix of upgrades and reactions and knowing when to play what to get the most mileage out of your bonebags isn't easy but is really satisfying when it does work.

====The Chosen Axes====
[[File:ChosenAxes.jpg|right|250px|Garrek's Reavers]]
<s>Dwarfs</s> Fyreslayers - expect 4 short, choppy bastards mixed with fire as well as typical stunty grumbling about painting orange. The Fyreslayers of the Vostarg lodge failed an oath of theirs to keep the city safe, and even after hundreds of their number have fallen trying to dispel its curse they're much too stubborn to know when they're beat.

Fyreslayers are supposed to be similar to the Stormcast Eternals but with the ability to specialise in either offense or defense. They are very slow but get inspired from holding objectives. Oddly enough, the massive axe does not count as a ranged weapon, and can only reach one hex...

In championship format, this warband is considered by most players to be the absolute worst warband. Though The Chosen Axes are on average the hardest hitting warband, and have an extremely easy inspire condition, their main weakness is their aforementioned lack of speed. They can only move 2 hexes without upgrades and are entirely melee fighters. Sure, you can upgrade their speed, but you're essentially cramming your deck with cards to make sure your fighters can just keep up with all the other warbands, not to outpace them.

[[This Guy|A guy in Europe]] has managed to pull off multiple tournament wins with these guys lately, beating Shadeborn, Exiled Dead, and other modern big hitters

[[File:SpiteclawsSwarm.jpg|left|250px|Yes-yes!]]

====Spiteclaw's Swarm====
Skaven - a mini-swarm of 5 ratbois here for the looting. Expect speed and trickyness but to die easier than the skellybones. There'll be ranged attacks and bonuses for outnumbering or supporting against single models.

They get inspired whenever a ploy is used on them. They have two named characters, while the remaining three are more expendable. If they die, one of the three can automatically be brought back a turn (and a ploy allows for another to come back as well in that same turn).

Spiteclaw himself is an ass kicker, and by staying alive he can essentially mop up any damaged fighters while you aggravate your opponent with an endless supply of fighters.

====The Farstriders====
[[File:Farstriders.jpg|right|250px|Now with 200% more [[Dakka]].]]
Another band of 3 Stormcast Eternal, with a greater focus on ranged combat. All three of them have their [[Bolt Pistol|trusty sidearm]] to plink at the opponent with impunity.They're not as completely OP as they sound, though: plinking does little damage unless boosted by gear/ploys and for them Inspiration only strikes when they end an action phase in enemy territory. Their cards generally either encourage more aggressive play of going forward, bring the fight to the enemy and treat shooting as a bonus; or hang back and pewpew like little bitches with empowered shots but woe if the enemy manages to close the gap. Middle ground is hard to pull off with the limited amount of both minis and cards. One of their funniest strategies is forcing your opponent to advance towards you, only to hit them and drive them back, followed by a riposte so that their attempt to set up an upcoming attack is wasted.

[[File:MagoresFiends.jpg|left|250px|Eternal battle, just what we needed!]]

====Magore's Fiends====
The Stormcast version of the Reavers - choppy and armoured. Four strong; three Fantasy [[Khorne Berzerker]] equivalents (the boss Magore and his two pals Ghartok and Zharkus) and Riptooth (aka [[Meme|Doge]]), a [[Flesh Hound]]. They start out rather slow, but become inspired whenever they make a succesful attack which boosts both their speed and their damage. Magore is pretty much a powerhouse once inspired (3 base damage that can be boosted to 4 or 5, he can take an Orruk out in one single blow), Riptooth is faster and more vulnerable than the others but can be surprisingly vicious, and both Ghartok and Zharkus can punch back whoever fail to hit them as a reaction for free.
=====Fiends Decks=====
A very aggressive warband, There are 3 broad ways on how to build their deck:
* '''Blood for The Blood God!''' - Overused battlecry aside, this version focuses on killing as much as you can, boosting Ghartok and Zharkus and letting them go to town on anything coming nearby with Magore and Doge in support. Basic, straightforward and absolutely unsubtle: [[Rip and tear|Kill them all, Khorne will know his own!]]
* '''Skulls for the Skull Throne!''' - This variant focuses less on pure slaughter but rather on boosting Magore and having him claim the enemy leader's skull for mucho glory points, while the three others keep the rest away. Slightly harder to pilot than just all-out aggro.
* '''Sic 'em!''' - This one includes upgrades for Riptooth and tries to take as much advantage as possible of his mobility and the fact he can drag opponents around after chomping on them. Hardest to pull off, but having Doge drag one of your opponent's minis away from the objective he needs to win in extremis or in range of your other madmen is just hilarious.

===Nightvault Block===
[[File:Nightvault.png|center|700px|Nightvault Block]]
====Thorns of the Briar Queen====
[[File:ThornsOfTheBriarQueen.jpg|right|300px|Ten thousand YEAAAARS will give you such a crick in the neck!]]
A once-great death mage, the Briar Queen was condemned to an eternity of imprisonment in the depths of the Nightvault when she failed to conquer Shadespire for herself. Nagash, being the asshole that he is, found it most amusing to unleash a former enemy of the Mirrored City against the interlopers trying to claim its secrets. According to the Nighthaunt codex, Nagash actually lets her out of the city on missions, and she mainly stays in Shadespire despite being able to leave due to her grudge against the city.

Like their fellow undead, this [[Nighthaunt]] warband consists of 7 spooky ghosts. All of them have the <Strike>unique</Strike> ability to treat lethal hexes as normal hexes and can move right through blocked or occupied hexes as well. The Briar Queen herself is a level 2 wizard, and with four wounds and 2 dodge she can take a beating. Varclav the Chained comes with the ability to push all the generic Chainrasps (plus the other guy who's basically a slightly stronger Chainrasp) up to two spaces, and conveniently enough they get inspired any time they're next to an enemy.

They favor an aggressive playstyle blending both objective play and eliminating enemies thanks to their mobility boosts and method of inspiration, and while the individual Chainrasps are somewhat weak they're good at dogpiling enemy fighters since they can slip right past anything in their way- the whole premise of the Bouncer Orcs deck falls apart against them even before their ploys, spells, and upgrades come into play. Using Varclav's ability is a must- he should be close enough to the front lines to push the little ghosts forward while smacking any targets of opportunity, but not so close that he becomes a prime target himself. Any cards with a pushing effect (e.g. Earthquake or your own Howling Vortex spell) will also help you close in on the foe for an easy inspiration. As for ploys, you've got a mix of debuffs like Maddening Cackle (which de-inspires fighters and keeps them from becoming inspired again), buffs like Spectral Chains and Endless Malice, and a few other pushing effects.

[[File:StormsiresCursebreakers.jpg|left|250px|Break all the curses!]]

====Stormsire's Cursebreakers====
Knight-Incantor Averon Stormsire was chosen personally by Sigmar to investigate the curse of Shadespire in the hopes of breaking it, for the irascible mage’s knowledge of unbinding and banishment is extraordinarily comprehensive. Stormsire has long studied the negative effects of the reforging process, and his grim demeanour has only grown more intense as the troubling implications become clearer.

Another trio of Stormcasts, this time from the Sacrosanct Chamber and consequently full of magic. They become inspired by successfully casting spells, which is a good thing because they have a ''lot'' of spells. Stormsire himself comes with a ranged magic attack by default, while the other two come with a self-buff spell that allows them to re-roll failed attacks.

Their deck is primarily offensive, and focuses on both upgrade that increase the power of the Cursebreakers and spells for shitting out lightning everywhere. With only three models, Empathic Conduction's healing will be a game-saver, and if you want to zap enemies left and right Cry of Thunder and Chain Lightning are both solid multi-target attack spells.

====Eyes of the Nine====
[[File:EyesOfTheNine.jpg|right|250px|Just as planned!]]A goodie-bag of Tzeentch: a leading Magister, two Kairic Acolytes, a Blue Horror, and a Tzaangor. They get inspired by successfully performing ranged attacks (with the exception of Tzaangor K'Charik, who is inspired when someone next to him casts a spell, and the Horrors, who don't get inspired at all.) This Inspire condition is harder than it sounds, as the ranged attacks are terribly difficult to actually pull off. The Kairic Acolytes Inspired aren't that much stronger than they are uninspired, so it's good to use them to bait your opponent rather than rely on them. The Magister Vortemis the All-Seeing is rather squishy with only 4 wounds and 1 dodge, but his ranged attack power is high and he can summon a Blue Horror on any starting hex that splits into a Brimstone Horror pair when it dies. (Yes, this includes the enemy's starting hexes too.) As an added bonus, the Horror can be re-summoned any time it's been slain with all of its upgrades intact, making it a constant threat as long as Vortemis is around to bring it back. The Tzaangor is a pretty standard beatstick, and one of the Acolytes has Cleave to deal with tougher targets.

The Eyes of the Nine's deck is strongly control-oriented to take advantage of their good speed and summonable Horror, with plenty of cards that shift the positions of fighters around. And what kind of Tzeentch-themed army would they be if they didn't supplement that with hard-hitting spells?

There are some very interesting warband specific upgrades for your fighters, yet your guys are so brittle that there's no logic in upgrading them. Your band should keep a Mollog's Mob proportions of upgrades - all of them on the leader or the horror.

[[File:ZarbagsGits.jpg|left|250px|Nine gits! NINE!]]

====Zarbag's Gitz====
The largest warband yet, with NINE FIGS! Seven grots and two squigs! While they're about as resilient as you would expect a grot to be (read: not very), all of them but the Squigs have a special rule that lets them move as a reaction if an ally started a move next to them. With the right positioning and a bit of forethought, the entire warband can be moved with only one activation!

Most of Zarbag's Gitz become inspired after they score at least 3 Glory Points, with the exceptions being the Squigs and Snirk Sourtongue.

Zarbag is squishy for a leader, but he's still a Wizard and hits fairly hard when Inspired. Snirk Sourtongue is a bit of an oddball compared to most fighters- he becomes inspired after any activation(foe or friend alike). When inspired, Snirk gives up the ability to perform ''all'' normal actions, but can zoom across the board while pushing and damaging anyone in between him and his target location. The Squig Herder is tankier than the rest of the Grots, and since the Squigs are inspired as soon as he dies your opponent can be forced into a position where killing him can actually be more troublesome than letting him live. The rest of them...well,they're Grots. One has a net and can debuff enemies, but apart from that they're unimpressive.

Zarbag's deck needs to get glory points quickly in order to build up their momentum, but their sheer numbers work in their favor when the Inspiration kicks in and the support bonuses are almost a certainty. Their Ploys help shore up the low offensive power of their individual fighters.

====Mollog's Mob====
[[File:MollogsMob.jpg|right|300px|]]A Bat Squig, a Spiteshroom, a Stalagsquig (think a Squig crossed with a stalagmite), and Mollog himself make up this warband. All Mollog the Dankhold Troggoth wanted was to nap in peace, but the other warbands keep waking him up. Needless to say, he's really cranky now and if they won't keep it down he'll ''make'' them keep it down.

Obviously Mollog himself is the centerpiece of the warband; he's a 7-wound monster that can charge with a move token, hits like a truck, and hits every fighter next to him at once. And when he's inspired by taking at least 3 wounds, he can charge if he has a charge token too (but not both a move and a charge token at the same time or if he has two of one token type). While the Squigs can't be given attack upgrades or even hold objectives, they still play a role in distracting and harassing anyone who might try to whittle down Mollog's health. The Bat Squig can move through occupied hexes and treats lethal ones as normal hexes, the Stalagsquig can't move but isn't set up until the first activation of the first round and can be placed on ''any'' empty hex including objectives, and the Spiteshroom hits all adjacent fighters at once like Mollog and inflicts damage to everyone near it when it dies.

If you haven't figured it out yet, this warband's success hinges almost entirely on Mollog's survival, so it's a good thing its deck has a fair number of ploys that mitigate his vulnerability to being outranged or outnumbered. The squigs also get some good benefits out of ploys as well, such as being able to respawn a Stalagsquig after it's been beaten or allowing said Stalagsquig to hold objectives.

Some decks were absolutely ridiculous for this warband throughout Direchasm, as you could fill your deck with extra wounds and damage boosts. The card Ferocious Resistance made it so that no matter how many wounds Mollog had taken, he could potentially heal [[derp|all of them]], effectively making Mollog so powerful that he could [[Rip and tear|absolutely beat the fuck out of any warband on his own because he can just attack over and over and over again]]. Thankfully, Mollog was recently nerfed in a rules change, where he can no longer attack over and over again in the same round.

====Godsworn Hunt====
[[File:GodswornHunt.jpg|left|300px|]]
Chaos is really working overtime, this time with Darkoath barbarians.

The Godsworn Hunt acts somewhat like a combination of the earlier Chaos warbands- they've got a wizard and ranged attacks like the Eyes of the Nine, the strength in numbers of Garrek's Reavers, and the offensive clout of Magore's Fiends. While not quite as durable or hard-hitting as the Khornate warbands and lacking in the magical potential of the Eyes, their versatility lets them adopt a variety of strategies. Godsworn Hunt fighters become Inspired after receiving an upgrade, which makes them tricky to use early on but allows them to snowball rapidly once the glory points start coming in.

The leader Theddra Skull-Scryer is a level 1 wizard best suited for casting spells from a distance, while heavy hitter Grundann Blood-Eye is somewhat frail but fast enough to keep his distance before going in for the kill. Shond Head-Claimer also acts as a brawler, and he gains Cleave when Inspired. Jagathra carries a javelin, which she can only use once per game but deals a lot of damage when she does so, and archer Ollo has good movement to extend his threat range. Finally, Grawl the hunting dog is quick and good at supporting allies and blocking enemies.

The Godsworn Hunt has a special mechanic in their objectives called Oaths- they work like normal objectives, but award one extra glory point by revealing them to the opponent in the previous action phase. They can help get you enough points to gain an upgrade (and get someone Inspired by doing so), but on the other hand the opponent will now know how to block you from scoring as well.

Due to their role in the deck, Godsworn Hunt players will want to have a lot of upgrades available and spread them around to everyone. Fortunately, their Ploys help in acquiring upgrades and make the upgrades themselves more effective.

====Chaos Gargant====
Not technically an official warband, a Chaos gargant was added via a free card that came in the white dwarf. Driven mad by the city's shifting shenanigans, the gargant rampages through Shadespire. He is meant to be taken down by both players, and the amount of health he has depends on the number of players he faces. When he loses enough wounds, he gets inspired.

====Ylthari's Guardians====
[[File:Ylthari's_Guardians.png|right|250px|Ylthari's Guardians]]

The Necroquake woke up this warband of [[Sylvaneth]], and like Mollog they aren't too thrilled about being interrupted from their magic slumber. They become Inspired by any effect that would heal them, regardless of whether it actually removes wound tokens.

Another all-around warband with a solid blend of melee and ranged options. Ylthari is a flexible mage that can sometimes heal herself after casting spells (and conveniently Inspiring her, boosting her movement to 5). Anhslaine the archer comes with a reaction that allows a bonus attack after defeating an enemy, making her useful for thinning hordes like Zarbag's Gitz. Gallanghann is a melee tank with 4 wounds and 2 block, and Skhathael hits hard and gets Cleave when Inspired.

As you'd expect from their Inspiration condition, their deck comes with a ton of options to restore your warband's health; even some of their objectives trigger only after healing a certain amount. Of course, being healed usually means you have to take damage first and it's still possible to get hurt more than you can heal from. Ylthari's Guardians were extremely good and at their best when they were released, but weakened considerably when Beastgrave was released because the way the "heal" keyword worked in the game was changed, thus weakening this warband's potential. It's still a fun warband to play, but keep in mind that the rules are slightly levied against you unless the keyword changes again.

====Thundrik's Profiteers====
[[File:Thundrik's_Profiteers.png|left|250px|Thundrik's Profiteers]]

The Katophranes left behind many valuable artifacts, and the [[Kharadron Overlords]] are here to find them.

The lynchpin of the Warband is Thundrik himself. He's a reliable ranged fighter, and he can put some distance between him and his foes by temporarily converting hexes next to him into lethal hexes. More importantly, he can Inspire a fighter of your choice each time you score an objective, which makes keeping him alive a high priority. Dead-eye Lund is a strong ranged fighter with Cleave, and the knockback on Enrik Ironhail's gun can make sure that anyone not killed by his 3 attacks can't trap him in melee. Khazgan is a flying melee fighter with a backup ranged attack, and Garodd is...just average, pretty much.

Their decks are best served by "score this immediately" objectives to ensure quick inspiring, and have a bunch of ploys and upgrades that focus on damage output.

===Beastgrave Block===
[[File:Beastgrave.png|center|800px|Beastgrave Block]]
[[File:Grashrak's ravagers.webp|right|250px|Grashrak's Ravagers]]
====Grashrak's Despoilers====

Beastmen warband, consisting of a Bestigor and four Ungors lead by a Bray Shaman. They have come to revel in the unending carnage that Beastgrave grants.

One of the starter warbands for round 3, this warband has a pretty decent mixing of objective, killing, and territory based objectives with a few odds and ends, so you could play them a lot of different ways. The Shaman starts off with a one-use token that lets any fighter reroll one dice in an attack action. He can get more tokens for every enemy fighter that dies, and hoarding them can ensure a victory when things come down to the wire and spending them every attack can keep you in the game if you're worried about falling behind. This factors into their inspire mechanics, as the entire warband inspires when two enemy fighters are out of action. This can be rather difficult if your up against any warband with less than four fighters, especially any of the stormcast, with a person who knows what they are doing. If you don't know what warband you will be fighting, it might be better to build more on objectives than killing fighters.

You shine brightest in Rivals and Rivals+, where your warband objectives and a handful of your gambits are some of the strongest in the game on their own. Rejoice! You can dominate a format!

====Skaeth's Wild Hunt====
[[File:WHUWSkaethFocus-Sep18-Models3fd.jpg|left|250px|Skaeth's Wild Hunt]]
A warband consisting of Kurnothi, a new race that's essentially a combination of Wood Elves and Non-Chaos fauns & centaurs unrelated to Ungors and Centigors. Skaeth's warband has come in hopes of finding the Beastgrave's heart so it can be killed once and for all.

The other starting warband for round 3, and like the first they have a nice mix of options for objective cards, making a lot of possible play styles. And this is one of the fastest warbands, with every fighter having at least 4 at the start, 2 having 5, and the rest go up to 5 after inspiring. They gain that at the end phase if they have a charge token, they do not inspire right after charging. Each fighter can gain something different from inspiring, so don't just go charging whilly nilly and make it easy to pick your fighters off since they're not all that tough until they inspire. As a nice bonus they have a wizard who is NOT their warband leader which forces a new kind of tension on the opponent - shall I kill the leader, or the spellcaster?

[[File:Grymwatch.jpg|right|250px|The Grymwatc]]

====The Grymwatch====
Flesh-Eater Courts warband. Includes the first female Ghoul, in case anybody wanted some mental scarring.

Fluffwise they are knight souls trapped in <s>ghoul</s> sexy bodies. Crusading in their minds, <s>eating dead meat in reality</s> feasting in Valhalla. Each phase if your leader is on board you may return one of the <s>shitty ghouls</s> young knights back in the game in a semi-random fashion using the scatter token. The biggest focus of this warband is keeping control of your territory and keeping the enemy where you want them too be. Several objective cards deal in having control of the objectives in the enemies territory or not having anyone but you in your territory, which is also how you inspire. Using ploy cards to move around and using the leaders reviving mechanic to grab objectives in the enemies territory can make moving around a lot faster and help to grab the objectives you want. Aggro warbands are a pain to deal with though, and using board set up to make the neutral zone as small as possible can make holding your own territory a bit easier.

====Ironsoul’s Condemnors====
[[File:Ironsoul’s_Condemnors.jpg|left|250px|Ironsoul’s Condemnors]]

One of the warbands for the "Dreadfane" starter set. Now released outside USA in the Champions of Dreadfane box set. Mirroring their liberator companions, Ironsoul's Condemnors are a 3 model warband with "the Leader", "the shield", and "the heavy". Ironsoul's condemnors' twist from steelheart's champions is that they have knockback EVERYWHERE. Things are gonna go flying. Their inspire condition requiring a critical hit seems doable, but not having any control on the inspiration timing is pretty spooky, and the inspiration gives some pretty nice perks.

With some strong unique warband cards, only melee attacks, and no magic, they are pretty straightforward. Bring in lethal hexes and you will probably be able to send your opponents flying into deathtraps from across the board! Also one of its fighters, when inspired, gets an area attack with cleave and 2 damage rolling 2 dice on hammers, what a beast!

====Lady Harrow’s Mournflight====
[[File:LadyHarrow’sMournflight.jpg|right|250px|Lady Harrow’s Mournflight]]

One of the warbands for the "Dreadfane" starter set. Now released outside USA in the Champions of Dreadfane box set. Lady Harrow's Mournflight is a 4 model warband, but they are the exact same as the easy to build banshees set. Each model has a variety of statlines and inspiration bonuses, but all the models look pretty similar, so good luck memorizing who gets what. They did get the same ability as their smaller less choppy counterparts, and their inspiration mechanic is moving through an enemy. With solid stat lines across the board and a very reliable inspire mechanic, these girls lend themselves to being reliable and deadly. With decent wound counts, high movement, and powerful unique warband cards, these girls probably got the better end of the stick in the dreadfane box set. Even though Lady Harrow's team can hit hard, they also got some strong objective-focused cards as well.

Oh and have fun remembering about the inspired Anguished One's special ability.

Seriously, print out all special abilities of your members with a big font and hold them in front of your eyes when playing this band.

[[File:Underworlds rippas.jpg|left|250px|Rippa's Snarlfang]]

====Rippa's Snarlfangs====
Despite the Gitmob being squatted, we still got a trio of new wolf rider models!

Rippa Narkbad is an exiled Grot from a tribe of wolf riding Grots who is convinced that one of Gorkamorka’s legendary axes is hidden within Beastgrave. He’s accompanied by his two closest mates and they all ride on venomous wolves called Snarlfangs. Their warband is very fast and with the extra attacks of the wolves, can chew pretty quickly through every kind of enemy, specially horde warbands as the wolf doesn't have to target the same enemy that the gobbo. It must be noted that the wolves attacks are very random, so you'll be having tons of ''FUN'' all match. It plays as one of the most aggressive warbands, having incredible mobility (5 when inspired) and a high number of attacks that let you do tons of damage.

Raw firepower of this warband is deadly to every opposing force. A solid counter is to stack a lot of 'after an attack action' reactions. After you get hit by a rider any such reaction can be used to block the agressor from following the first attack with his wolf's jaws.

====Hrothgorn's Mantrappers====
[[File:Hrogthgorn.jpg|right|250px|Hrothgorn]]
A big and hungry ogor, but don’t let this fool you; it's actually a 5 man warband plus a trap.

Hrothgorn is called Mollog 2.0 yet that is an incorrect statement. Mollog's Mob is a one member warband with a couple of liabilities standing back in your field, just waiting to die while Hrothgorn's Mantrappers is an actual 5 member warband in which everyone has a specific role to handle and they are all capable of actually achieving something before getting killed.

Watch out for 3 and 4 player games. Hrothgorn has a tendency to be seen as a mighty threat and everyone tends to team up to kill him first giving you a hard time having a fun, balanced and friendly game with your buddies. In reality Hrothgorn is not a god. He's powerful on offensive, yet has no movement shenanigans forcing you to think before acting and giving you a hard time if the opponent decides to stay back. Don't get lured into the trap yourself!

The good thing about Hrothgorn's threating presence on the battlefield is that when he's the target of attacks you can actually use your gnoblars much more freely than you would assume. You can setup traps and position them for when the real hunt begins. Bushwacka, Quiv, and Luggit & Thwak are Hrothgorn's friends. They all serve a specific mechanical purpose, and all synergize to make Hrothgorn as effective as possible. Meanwhile, Thrafnir the Frost Sabre is a strong fighter, but is mainly there to backup Hrothgorn's damage output.

Hrothgorn has the Hunter keyword, and all enemy fighters have the Quarry keyword as long as he is alive. Use this to your advantage when you are building a deck, and keep an eye out for cards that promote upgrading Hunters and killing Quarry.

====The Wurmspat====
[[File:Wurmspat.jpg|left|250px|Wusrmpat]]
A Nurgle sorceress called Fecula Flyblown (yay for the first female Nurglesque model in the modern era) accompanied by two Putrid Blightkings and a Retchling. [[Anal circumference|One of the Blightkings has his anus hanging out]].

Their main gist is that they are tough, as in really tough, if they receive damage, they are capable of reducing it 1 point for every shield rolled up to a minimum of 1 damage, and then they have cards to discard that last damage point or heal, so you can keep laughing at your opponent trying to kill your guys.

They are also the first band to include "cycle" cards. These are like longstanding effects to the field that buff your warband, from extra movement to less attack dice for adjacent enemies that last until you play a different cycle card.

Wurmspat fall into a Cycle themselves in the meta. They shine their brightest at the end of a season when all the cards are out and you have time to deck build, but struggle in the early season. This is because a 3 fighter warband just doesn't last that well like they did in Shadespire and Nightvault (Mogrok being the exception). Having fighters that are survivable is a good gimmick, but not a strong one without cards that can aid in their damage output AND defenses.

====Morgok's Krushas====
[[File:Morgoks_krushas.jpg|right|250px|morgok]]
Orruks come in for a second round, this time they aren't bad like their first iteration, where Hakka and Basha were as dangerous as a fucking gobbo. Now they all have five wounds and can annihilate an attacking fighter with a strong defense characteristic.

As you can expect, it's a full aggro faction that hits hard and has direct objectives with little cunnin', but lotts of brutal.

It's main mechanic are the Waaagh! tokens, wich are earned after an action in which a boy has made an attack action. If a boy has 2 Waaagh! counters it can inspire. The tokens can also be used to get some buffs like extra attack dice or pushing fighters around.

====Morgwaeth's Blade-Coven====
[[File:Daughter-of-Khaine.jpg|left|250px|daughters]]

Revealed at GAMA, this 5 grrrrrrls band stars Morgwaeth, the titular Hag Queen and leader, a Melusai Blood Stalker, a Sister of Slaughter and two Witch Aelves.

An aggressive warband with low health, that's pretty difficult to pilot. Not recommended for new players, even though they have some of the best minis of Underworlds.

They all automatically inspire during the third and final round, but can inspire earlier so long as Morgwaeth is alive and an enemy fighter has been taken out of action. This is a different take on Thundrik's Profiteers form of inspiring, where you don't have to focus on objectives after killing, but may struggle to get the kills in the first place. Since all the fighters are fairly weak, they struggle to get over the early game hurdle. Generally, you may want to focus on inspiring either Khamyss or Kyrae first, followed by Lethyr, Morgwaeth herself, and then Kyrssa. You can build your whole warband around that order, but you can also take a different direction and try to inspire Lethyr earlier. Lethyr is special because when she is inspired, she can ''possibly'' commit to the deal damage step twice after an attack. If you stack her with enough upgrades, you can make her into a little monster destroyer... Provided she doesn't immediately die. It's usually safer to stack upgrades on Khamyss who will just use two different attacks in a single activation or Kyrae if you need to be really defensive. Kyrssa is just Arnulf from Garrek's Reavers (the dude who wears a [[promotions|bellend]] helmet) but has an extra dodge when inspired, so that should tell you how useful she is. Not a lot.

===Direchasm Block===
[[File:Direchasm.png|center|700px|Direchasm Block]]
====Myari's Purifiers====
[[File:Purifiers.jpg|right|250px|Myari's Purifiers]]
Lumineth Realm-Lords warband. These knife-ears have traveled to Beastgrave with the hopes of cleansing its heart and returning it to a peaceful non-cursed mountain.

Every fighter inspires if all of their dice during a roll are "successes." This means that the attack, defence, or casting roll can fail, but still has successes on the die.

The Purifiers individually all have really decent attacks and strong defences, and all have abilities that enhance their qualities. Swordmaster has increased chances of dodging ranged attacks, your hammerbearer can't be knocked back, your archer can do extra damage on crits and has the longest base range in the game, and your leader is a really strong caster. What rounds this entire warband off is that they all have an Aetherquartz token, and can spend it to reroll a die in any of their actions.

====The Dread Pageant====
[[File:Slaanesh.jpg|left|250px|The Dread Paegant]]
[[Slaanesh]] mortal warband, including what appears to be a [[Slaangor]]. When they heard of a sentient mountain in Ghur, they eagerly jumped at the chance to discover brand new sensations. Now they thrive off of inflicting pain to Beastgrave itself.

These fighters inspire if there are a total of six or more wound counters across all living fighters. This means that you have to avoid killing your targets early on to make your fighters especially deadly later. This also means that fighting warbands like Zarbag's Gits really sucks.

Your leader and your Slaangor can heal or damage themselves by one wound after attacking, which can make inspiring easier if you are willing to be a little risky. Your archer and spear girl are a lot squishier, but they are extremely useful if you want to move your opponent out of position or if you want to hit multiple fighters at once.

====Khagra's Ravagers====
[[File:STD warband.jpg|right|250px]]
An undivided Chaos warband with two sisters and leader models surprisingly. Classic armour, and some nice leather boots. They seek to corrupt Beastgrave as the final step in their path to glory. Also, the first female Chaos Sorceress seen in a long time. And you even get a big boy who is doing a great [[Slambo]] impression.

All your fighters are decent and tanky, including your Chaos Sorceress! Despite being hard hitters, you are going to have to play the objective game in the weirdest way if you want to get the most out of them. You need to use your warband's special "Desecrate" mechanic to inspire. Desecrate enough objectives, and your warband inspires at the cost of preventing someone from being able to hold the objective. The downside is that if an enemy is standing on your desecrated objective, it loses its desecration. If your opponent has a board with more objectives, then you are fighting an uphill battle. If your opponent has a ton of fighters, then you are fighting an uphill battle.

If you do manage to inspire, your fighters can really clean shop.

NOTE: A recent rules change changed their inspire condition so that they only have to Desecrate TWO objectives, rather than three. This makes the warband a lot stronger.

====Starblood Stalkers====
[[File:Seraphon.jpg|left|250px]]
A Seraphon warband, led by a Skink Priest named Kixi-Taka, with three Skink hunters and an Oldblood to lend some saurian muscle. These starborne are tasked by their Slann to seek out Beastgrave’s heart and destroy it before the slaves of Chaos can corrupt it for their own needs. It also includes the best Chameleon Skink model possible.

All the fighters in this warband are useful, which is not that common in a warband of this size. Each Skink is capable of supporting the others because of their Skittish mechanic, and can turn defensive as quickly as they attack. The Oldblood hits like a truck with two attacks in one action. Kixi-Taka can punish anyone trying to play the objective game or trying to prevent you from playing the objective game. And your Chameleon Skink is ridiculously fun, capable of shutting down the most mobile warbands and the warbands that need to move as much as they can in one swoop... If he can hit.

====The Crimson Court====
[[File:The crimsom court.png|right|250px]]
A warband that served as a sneak peak for the revamped [[Soulblight Gravelords|Vampires]]. A four vampire band with an aggressive play style and a “Bloodthirst” mechanic.

All your fighters have 4 wounds, movement value of 4, and attacks with damage of 2 by standard. That's a pretty solid set of starting attributes and since you have four vampires you can threaten pretty much the whole battlefield! And what a threat that is - the winged guy can, for example, easily become a range 6 flying shock trooper with damage 3. Oh, and you have spellcasters. Not one, but two!

The "Bloodthirst" mechanic means you receive one Hunger token at the start of each round (including first). Hunger is a mechanic that existed since the start of Direchasm, but it required you to focus your entire deck into the mechanic potentially at the cost of the rest of your warband's mechanics. You lose them as an optional reaction for putting an adjacent opponent out of action. Cards can also be used to change the amount of Hunger tokens you have. If you drop your Hunger tokens to 0 by the end of the round you inspire. What makes this warband unique is that if your fighter has 3 or more Hunger tokens, they become "Bloodthirsty", which gives you a different set of buffs than when you are Inspired. You can build an entire deck around raging bloodthirst, and you can potentially win a game without inspiring once. If your fighter has three tokens while inspired, he uninspires immediately.

In order to upgrade quickly, no matter if you're aiming for inspiration or bloodthirst, you need to murder people in <s>mortal</s> close kombat. Keeping your players in the best possible places and choosing who's the one to strike the killing blow become a really important tactical decisions. A truly aggressive and versatile warband.

====Storm of Celestus====
[[File:Storm of Celestus.jpeg|left|250px]]
The Storm of Celestus is trudging through Shadespire (wasn't that three seasons ago?) to destroy Sigmar's enemies and discover the secrets of Nagash's city.

One of the two warbands introduced in the "Warhammer Underworlds: Starter Set." Similar to the Champions of Dreadfane box, this warband was included with Drepur's Wraithcreepers, and use the Easy to Build Castigators w/ Gryph Hound sprue. The box also came with a couple of new cards, boards, and a rulebook.

Stormies are the fifth Stormcast Eternals warband, but are the first with more than three fighters. Your fighters inspire by using their ranged attack successfully. These guys hit a lot harder from ranged than the Farstriders, but the trade off is that they can only fire once a round. Turns out firing the equivalent of magic grenades from an arblast comes with a reload time. The Gryph Hound Inspires with a successful attack, and has a special ability that can give adjacent friendly fighters a guard token if they are being attacked in melee.

Generally, the Storm of Celestus hits hard but is super defensive compared to the far more offensive warbands of the Direchasm season. Storm of Celestus is pretty good, but the other warbands can pretty easily close the gap when fighting these fellas.

====Drepur's Wraithcreepers====
[[File:Drepurs Wraithcreepers.jpg|right|250px]]
Four hunters who were so proud of their hunting skills that they attracted Nagash's attention after death, forever cursed to wear the visage of their steeds and hunt in the name of the Dead God!

The third Nighthaunt warband and a warband with a very punny name. Drepur's Wraithcreepers are one of the strongest warbands released in the Direchasm season. With 2 ranged attacks on everyone except for The Patrician, and the super easy Inspire condition of just being in range of attacking an enemy fighter, these guys are no joke.

Though these guys can't move through lethal hexes without taking damage like their other Nighthaunt friends, they still keep most of the movement gimmicks of the Nighthaunt warbands. What makes them especially good is The Patrician. The Patrician is your technical fighter, who can move any friendly fighter a hex after an opponent's power step. Despite only having the standard 3 movement (which goes up to 4 when Inspired), this means that your fighters are deceptively mobile. The Patrician meanwhile has an Inspire condition that promotes being aggressive: All your OTHER surviving friendly fighters are in enemy territory. This means you can keep the Patrician in your back pocket in case of emergencies while your stronger fighters all rush in.

These guys are strong. Go annoy your friends with how tough and silly these undead hunters can be.

====Hedkrakka’s Madmob====
[[File:Hedkrakka’s Madmob preview.png|left|250px|]]
A third Orruk warband, though this time it’s Bonesplitterz. Lead by the self-titled “Gob of Gork” Hedkrakka, these savage orruks have arrived in Beastgrave to hunt the biggest monster of all; the mountain itself. A warband with a caster and a ranged fighter alongside two strong melee fighters makes this warband very wall rounded. This warband takes advantage of the Hunter and Quarry mechanics introduced back in “Beastgrave,” but is entirely suited to playing for Primacy. Hedkrakka himself got rolled into this because of his little friend: a snake. They all lack toenails, despite savage orc/orruks historically having claw-like nails.

Primacy is a mechanic that has been around since the beginning of Direchasm, but Hedkrakka's Madmob cranks it up. Basically, if you have more objectives than your opponent, killed a fighter with no wounds in one attack, or killed your enemy's leader, then you get the Primacy token. At the end of the round, whomever has the Primacy token gets a spent glory, effectively making it so that the Madmob could get 3 extra glory to pull ahead. Primacy is powerful, and is only a part of the game if at least one player has cards that mention Primacy. The double edged sword is that a player who has no Primacy cards can still get Primacy if it is in the game.

Unlike most warbands, the Madmob actually wants to ''lose'' Primacy, and have cards that promote losing Primacy. After getting the Primacy token, you can inspire ''one'' fighter if Hedkrakka is still alive. So if you have cards that let you get rid of it and get bonuses for doing that, only to get it again later, then you are messing up your opponent's card rotation. These savage orruks are suprisingly complex, and they become especially strong when inspired.

====Kainan's Reapers====
[[File:WHUPreviewKainan'sReapers.jpg|thumb|right]]
[[Ossiarch Bonereapers]] warband. Made up of one Mortisan Executioner and five Mortek guards with varied weapons. They were sent to Beastgrave to collect the Bone-tithe from the Silent People, a lore only faction in Direchasm. They can't find the Silent People and get trapped in Direchasm, but they don't care since they can collect the Bone-tithe from the other warbands trapped in there with them. These guys are very much sticking with the one piece of the greater whole that the bonereapers are centered around, as almost all the morteks have a reaction that lets another mortek move after them as long as they didn't move before and end adjacent to them. And most of the morteks attacks gain damage if they have supporting morteks and roll the support symbols in their attacks. Stay together, and earn victory, all for Nagash.

Like Mollog's Mob and Hrothgorn's Mantrappers, Kainan's Reapers are essentially a Big Boy warband, where your leader is your "Big Boy." You inspire by having three or more Bone-tithe counters, which you gain by taking an enemy out of action or by by playing cards to gain them. You can also spend your Bone-tithe counters to power up your cards or your attacks.

Kainan is a level 1 Caster, but you may never want to use his spells when you see how heavy a hitter he is. Like Hrothgorn, Kainan's warband works very well as a whole, and can survive without Kainan being alive. Like Mollog, Kainan can hit like a truck. By spending two Bone-tithe counters, you can add one damage to Kainan's attack. Without any upgrades, that means Kainan can make a 4/5 damage attack uninspired/inspired that's very likely to succeed.

====Elathain's Soulraid====
[[File: Soulraid.jpg|left|250px]]
The first [[Idoneth Deepkin]] warband. Composed of three spooky sea-aelves, a crab and a mean-looking fish with some huge fins. The crab was especially notable as it was promptly [[Meme|memed]] upon during it's reveal, even to the point where GW acknowledged it's popularity in a [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/05/30/sunday-preview-warhammer-skulls-adepta-sororitas-pre-orders-and-that-crab-you-love/ Warhammer Community article]

The Soulraid's fighters on their own aren't especially powerful. All the fighters have okay defence, low wounds, and only basic damage. What makes them powerful is their insane mobility and, to everyone's surprise, the fish!

Each Aelf fighter can either double move if they only have one move counter, or charge if they have one move counter; however, they can only do this during the first and third round. Since everyone but the Crab has a movement of 4 (and the Crab can use Scuttle to move a hex closer to a friendly fighter that just moved), that means your fighters can be up and down the board in a single round.

Your entire warband inspires for the second round if they're not out of action (a special distinction because you can bring your Namarti Thrall back to life if it died). They lose their ability to double move, but they're considerably more powerful. You can also play a warband specific card to inspire in the Third round if your opponent doesn't discard two cards.

Your fish is your tech-piece. It has no move characteristic, a single dodge dice, one wound, and no attacks. What makes it special is that at the end of your opponent's power step, you can place a token on a hex and then move your fish onto that token from anywhere on the board in your opponent's next power step. Also off the board. The fish cannot be taken out of action. It doesn't yield glory when it gets killed, and you just move it off the board. You can put the fish back on any token you place later in the game. You can also choose to not set up the fish in the beginning of the game if you want to ensure that you finish setting up first.

What makes this fish great is that your attack and defense rolls still count as being assisted. You can practically guarantee a hit on any given fighter, and your opponent's only response is to either get out of the melee or try and get rid of the fish for no benefit. This is especially great when you can force your opponent to attack the fish in a last ditch attack in the fight, which makes him really [[rage|funny]].

===Harrowdeep Block===
[[File:Harrowdeep.jpg|center|700px|Harrowdeep Block]]
The Fifth Block of Underworlds takes place in Ulgu, and at the bottom of the sea. This saw the introduction of Grand Alliance specific cards, so you get more cards that are not universal, but are usable on a wide choice of warbands. Where Beastgrave and Direchasm favoured very aggressive warbands and limited the power of defensive warbands, Harrowdeep seeks to reinvigorate defensive play. This was done by removing the lethal hex placement rule which allowed a player to set up combos and create chokepoints to gloom hex placement, which is a new type of hex that gives a fighter successes on a roll of a double support on their defense die, regardless of if they have no supporting fighters next to them. Control warbands, AKA the warbands that want to hold objectives, were put in a limbo state. Objectives start the game as flipped hexes and are only revealed and considered objectives when a fighter without a charge token Delves. Delve is a new term that occurs in the power stop where you can forgo play a card to flip a feature token into an Objective and vice-versa. On the one hand, this means you can play a warband like Zarbag's Gitz with their card Infestation and score the card at the end of the first round if you hold the only objective that's open for five glory. On the other hand, it also means that warbands like Khagra's Ravagers and Chosen Axes will struggle to inspire because the time it takes to hold an objective or desecrate one is much londer.

Speaking of inspiration, the Underworlds rules team gave inspiration its own step rather than let it automatically proc when you fulfill the condition. When you have fulfilled the condition, regardless of if it is altered after the power step, you will inspire your fighters during the Inspiration Step. This is done after the power step that takes place after an activation. So, if you are playing Chosen Axes and held an objective, even if your opponent played a card that would move you off it during the power step, you would still inspire because you fulfilled the conditions. The [[skub|polite conversation and discussion]] about the Inspire step stems from the actual wording. The inspire step itself only occurs after an activation during after said activation's power step. This meant that if you are playing Elathain's Soulraid or Morgwaeth's Blade Coven, who automatically inspire when it's the second and third round respectively, [[derp|have to wait an entire activation in the round they are supposed to be inspired in uninspired before they are ''actually inspired.'']] Thankfully, this was all fixed and is noted in the Errata section of this article.

Further [[rage|kind understanding from the community]] comes from GW's announcement that the amount of warbands per block would seemingly be limited to four warbands. Many hoped this was a misunderstanding, because it also would've meant that there are far fewer cards and cards rotate out a lot faster, and it will almost definitely turn off new players from Underworlds when their cards become obsolete in a very constrictive amount of time. This ALSO was later found out to not be the case, as noted in the Nethermaze section of this article.

====Da Kunnin' Krew====
[[File:DaKunninKrew.jpg|thumb|right]]
Revealed alongside Xandire's Truthseekers at GenCon, this [[Orruk Warclans|Kruleboyz]] warband features two [[Mork]]-y orruks, a nasty looking hobgrot, and two grots. These guys have a relatively easy Inspire condition based on their portfolios: Either three enemy fighters must be out of action, or they support or are supported by a friendly fighter during an attack action.

Your leader, Mannok, can have a friendly fighter make a move action as a reaction to another friendly fighter completing a move action. Your other orruk, Tuffskull, can support friendly fighters from 2 hexes during an attack action away rather than being adjacent to the target. The Grots Gikkit and Shank automatically count as two supporting fighters on their own rather than a single supporting fighter. Krookgrin the Hobgrot spends a glory to give a friendly fighter with the new ''Minion'' keyword an attack action with an extra die, which in this case are Gikkit and Shank, which upgrades to TWO friendly fighters make an attack action with an extra die when he inspires.

The fighters themselves favour a lot of movement, and in many ways do Elathain's Soulraid's job of creating supports better with arguably better defense dice on average; however, the drawback is that your fighters aren't doing nearly as much damage and your minions are probably going to get one shot with their low wounds. The faction deck is interesting, but you have to have a wide range of universals to make this warband really work its magic. The abundance of the new ''Grievous'' keyword helps a lot (which adds +1 damage to an attack on a crit) but is not necessarily reliable.

====Xandire's Truthseekers====
[[File:XandiresTruthseekers.jpg|thumb|left]]
The other warband teased a week after Da Kunnin' Krew was Xandire's Truthseekers, and they were officially revealed alongside Da Kunnin' Krew at GenCon. So it's officially the sixth Stormcast Eternals warband, and the fourth with unique models. The Truthseekers are weird because they are strictly average in terms of strength when uninspired compared to other Stormcasts, and not much better when inspired. Meanwhile, your inspire condition is that any of your own fighters are out of action except for Taros the bird (while Taros inspires if Stormrider the Vigilor is inspired).

Since you ideally want to keep your leader and maximize inspiration potential, you probably want Dhoraz Giant-Fell to be your sacrificial lamb if you have to make that decision. This is because you won't lose your leader and you will inspire your ranged fighter alongside her companion fighter.

Each fighter except Taros has a special ability when they are dealt damage that will take them out of action, and they are all unique. Xandire herself will heal 2 wounds to a friendly fighter, Dhoraz will push a friendly fighter within 2 hexes 2 hexes, and Stormrider makes a 3+ range attack action. These are all very situational, and they're kind of pity points for losing one of your fighters in a Stormcast warband. Taros's unique ability is being able to be pushed 3 hexes after a friendly fighter's move action if they finish that push within 2 hexes of the fighter that had moved, and he counts as supporting from 2 hexes away. Neat.

Luxa, depending on your build, is arguably the most useful because of her connection to Taros and because of her attack block. Her bow, when inspired, is 4 range attack action with cleave and ensnare, 3 dice hitting on smash, but only dealing 1 damage. If she takes an enemy fighter out of action with her bow, she can make another attack action. Though the warband specific cards favor balance and melee heavily, as well as insane amounts of healing that would make Ylthari fanboys [[rage]], you could potentially build your warband to a point where Luxa is a sniper without equal, but the cards that buff ranged damage are few and far between. Try to add Grievous to your bow if at all possible to maximize potential.

====Blackpowder's Buccaneers====
[[File:BlackpowdersBuccaneers.jpg|thumb|right]]
Teased during Warhammer day, we got a [[awesome|fucking ogor pirate with a monkey and parrot]]. The warband itself is another Big Boy warband, where the leader has 6+ wounds and the other fighters are a lot weaker and serve a support role. The inspiration mechanic for Blackpowder himself, as well as his big gun attack, revolves around discarding swag tokens. Discard two swag tokens, and Blackpowder inspires! But how do you get swag?

Well, your gnoblars, parrot, and monkey all have Light-Fingered, which means that when they attack an adjacent fighter with an upgrade and succeed, then they break an upgrade that that fighter is holding. After breaking an upgrade, gain a swag counter!

Now this is... hard. Your fighters all have a decent chance of scoring a hit, but not an amazing chance. This means that you are not only banking on your very weak fighters to get yourself ammunition and for your big boy to inspire, but also that your opponent has upgrades on their fighters in the first place. Unless your opponent was using Illusion Upgrades, your opponent needs to have gained glory to get themself some upgrades in the first place. Probably meaning that you are behind. There are also only two cards in the entire deck that can give you a swag counter, which means you'll be digging through cards for the chance of getting a swag token.

Your little dudes aren't the worst, though their damage profile puts them on par with the weakest fighters from seasons 1 & 2. What you need to know is that Peggz the Gnoblar (take a guess which one this is) is by far your weakest fighter, with a melee attack and the fewest useful keywords. His attack is a range 1 attack that only gets an extra die when inspired. Kagey the Gnoblar is far more useful because he can Fly, has a range 3+ attack action, and is pretty good for controlling objectives. Shreek the Parrot is better than Kagey, because he is far more mobile, has more dice, can move alongside Blackpowder, and gets supports from a distance from Blackpowder; further, his attack has Grievous (+1 damage on crits) and gets Stagger (remove guard tokens) when inspired. Finally, Mange is your go getter. Though many expected Mange to be a Beast like Shreek and thus being unable to get attack action upgrades or hold objectives, Mange is strictly a companion. Whenever a minion (so, the Gnoblars) move, he can push himself 3 hexes as long as he is within 2 hexes of the moving minion. He also has Grievous and gains Ensnare when Inspired on his attack action, meaning he has a pretty great chance of hitting and dealing okay damage when in the thick of things. It's a shame that ALL the little dudes have only 2 wounds and do poor damage. Kainan could annihilate these guys blow for blow.

But they're fucking awesome anyways. They have yet to receive a warscroll for AoS, but a "leaked" version has Blackpowder breaking artifacts when wounding in the combat phase. Yo-ho motherfucker.

====The Exiled Dead====
[[File:ExiledDead.png.webp|thumb|right]]
A completely original faction revealed with Adepticon 2022. The leader of this force is Deintalos, a necromancer who was somehow exiled from the realm of Shyish because his methods were too extreme for even Nagash. His crimes? He decided to perform mad science a la Doctor Frankenstein and resurrected a bunch of zombies using electricity and machines instead of good-old magic.

While your many minions are quite flimsy, they all start out Inspired, which is a pretty sizeable boost for an early charge. While he also has his own understudy who more closely adheres to traditional necromancy, this understudy only has one zombie he can control separate from Deintalos' electric cavalcade.

Your big boon here is that you can activate 5 out of your 7 fighters in one activation, every activation (and you can double tap in one activation if you run a very hard to cast spell card). Deintalos and all the Conductive zombies (Bault, Vlash, Coyl, and Ione) can all make a move action or all make an attack action (charge tokens still lock you down, though). THEN you can return one of your Conductive zombies back to life within two hexes of Deintalos and not adjacent to an enemy fighter, albeit uninspired. With all of your minions inspired at the start, you will be moving up the board really fast, smacking out just about any fighter you want. Marcov (the crouched gremlin looking fella) gets the same exact trick with his armoured zombie, Regulus. And unlike Deintalos, this action with Marcov allows for charges if there are no charge tokens on the fighter you use.

Essentially, if Deintalos dies you are dead in the water unless it happened in the very late game. It's a good idea to keep Marcov in the way back as a pocket support if Deintalos does die early so you can still utilize the combo between Marcov and Regulus.

Mirror matches are a glory filled slaughterhouse. Expect your game to be down to the wire based on how often your zombies keep killing each other and getting back up again.

===Nethermaze Block===
[[File:Nethermaze.jpg|center|700px|Nethermaze Block]]

The sixth block of Warhammer Underworlds was revealed on April 2022. The Nethermaze is a pit that lies below the Harrowdeep, ruled by shadowy masters that channel the power of a magical artifact called the Liar's Moon. The Liar's Moon is a very tempting steal for those who know of it, but escape can be just as tempting a lure for those lost within the Nethermaze...

Metawise, nothing changed outside of boards. There are no new token types, and insofar only a couple new card mechanics that echo the usage of Map and Silent Relic cards. The good rub from this release is that the earlier panic about how seasons would only have cards from at most eight warbands to be viable in Championship format disappeared, because Gee-dubyah clarified that they were just cashing in on box sets. Direchasm is so far still Championship format viable in Nethermaze; further, new Rivals decks are being introduced in White Dwarfs so you're not stuck with just two themed decks and warband exclusives.

====The Shadeborn====
One of the warbands introduced with the block, the Shadeborn are Morathi's special agents. As it turns out, the masters of the Nethermaze are actually defectors from the Daughters of Khaine who might potentially seek to threaten the recently-ascended war goddess' powers. Thus, Morathi sent out a pack of Shadowstalkers to quell any potential rebellion.

They are actually insanely powerful, but require a lot of forward thinking. You will not win the game with brute force, but you will succeed when you isolate an enemy fighter and remove them from the board. They have cards that allow them to teleport, swap places, and be considered in cover. Being in cover from a Gloom token or from a card played gives them a lot of defensive utility and tricks to pull off. Once inspired and reasonably equipped, they're practically unbeatable by most warbands. The male fighter here is also a wizard, so there's that.

These are technically models used in a different game that have been reposed, but they're still pretty awesome to look at.

====Skittershank's Clawpack====
The other warband introduced with the box, these are a bunch of [[Skaven]] from [[Clan Eshin]], tempted more by the power of the Liar's Moon.

They gain Inspired and are most powerful when targeting enemy leaders. Enemy leaders are almost always going to keep out of harms way when fighting the Clawpack, because the enemy player probably knows it keeps you on the backfoot. The upside to this is that you have high mobility cards and some staying power cards to keep your fighters alive longer and closer to the enemy leader.

Skittershank and Snyp (your second-in-command) inspire when either the enemy leader is out of action or it has 4 or more wound counters. Mollog, Kainan, Blackpowder, 5 wound leaders, and wound buffed leaders are not going to be safe from their inspire condition. Your other three fighters inspire by the enemy leader being out of action or they just land an attack on them.

You are clearly oriented to take out fighters that just like to tank shots and hold objectives. Skittershank, Snyp, and Kreep all have the Marked for Death ability, which allows you to reroll a single dice when attacking an enemy leader, which is a godsend when you are fighting any Death armies this season. Skittershank has 3 attack dice, 4 when inspired, and Grievous. Snyp stays on 3, but gains Grievous and Cleave; further, he has a reaction ability where he Staggers all adjacent enemy fighters after an activation where he was used, which really helps break Guard focused players. Kreep has a ranged attack that forces enemy fighters to stay still if they don't want to risk taking a wound.

Krowch't and Skulck are a melee and ranged fighter respectively, and they're mostly just minion fodder. They aren't that useful outside of being good supports and super fast, but they can get the job done.

====Hexbane's Hunters====
Haskel Hexbane is a witch hunter who managed to wind up in the Nethermaze along with some lackeys and even a pair of dogs to accompany him. Evidently, it's clear that as merely men in a world full of mutants, monstrosities and armored demigods, there's not much chance that you'll be winning games unscathed. However, their cards seem to have extra effects depending on how many of your models are killed.

====Gorechosen of Dromm====
Dromm, Wounder of Worlds and Arch Slaughterpriest of Khorne has decided to delve into the Nethermaze with the intention of wounding the realm of Ulgu itself. He is joined by Skullgrinder Herax and the Gorehulk, a Slaughterpriest midway through his transformation into a Khorgorath. Dromm comes with the ability to force an enemy unit to charge him in a blind rage.

===Gnarlwood Block===
[[File:Gnarlwood.jpg|center|700px|Shadespire Block]]
====Gnarlspirit Pack====
====Sons of Velmorn====

The most beloved underperforming warband <s>ever</s> recently (but still better than some extreme flowers from the first few seasons) the Sons are absolutely SEXY models purchased by many just to jerk to how cool the sculpts are and how stylish the whole band is. Seriously, the entire production run of Gnarlwood was purchased by non-Underworlds players who wanted nothing else than to put those sexy boys on their shelves.

Watchout when assembling them tho, one wrong move and they are broken, a few pieces are very fragile.

Gameplay-wise, the warband requires early actions done by the leader in order to buff the weaker guys who unfortunately remain weak after the buff is activated. Other than that they are... normal. You might actually win a match or two just by blinding your opponent with the visual glory of the band.

The trick of this warband is in supporting other members of the band. Inpired Jedran supports his teammates not just when he stands next to the victim, but even just next to his teammate. And the daddy Velmorn supports his sons remotely all around the battlefield, but the price is that he has to move early in the round to activate his supporting skill (which activated as a reaction to his activation). Alternatively, daddy's supporting skill may also be activated using a few cards by giving him a command token he would normally obtain. <s>Remote IT support</s> daddy's support is provided as long as he has the said token (it is removed after each round). The token may occasionally be used for some other card related tricks so you gonna make some decisions from time to time.

Your boys are fragile not just during assembly, but during gameplay as well, inspiring gives them a nice Shields Up skill (that gives guard token for free on crits when attacking) but the reality is the daddy Velmorn will see his sons die in front of him very often. Still, Velmorn is the best daddy in whole of Underworlds - he dies for his sons, witnesses them getting inspired, supports them whatever they do, yells at them, glorifies them, blah blah yada yada yada.

====Grinkrak's Looncourt====
====Gryselle's Arenai====

===Wyrdhollow Block===
[[File:Wyrdhollow.png|center|700px|Shadespire Block]]
====Domitan’s Stormcoven====
====Ephilim’s Pandaemonium====
====Headsmen’s Curse====

=Erratas, FAQs, and Ban Lists=
It would take ages to detail all of the banned and restricted cards in the game, as well as all the cards that have had minor rule changes. You can check the Errata and FAQ lists to find the updates for those cards; however, it wouldn't be too hard to detail which fighters have changed from their original incarnations, as well as major rule changes for the warbands.

====Steelheart's Champions====
'''Obryn the Bold:''' Brawler

====Garrek's Reavers====
'''Karsus the Chained:''' Brawler

'''Arnulf:''' Assassin

'''CHAOS KEYWORD:''' Khorne

====Sepulchral Guard====
'''The Harvester:''' Brawler

'''All the Petitioners:''' Minion

'''The Warden:''' Change the Sepulchral Warden’s Inspire condition to read:‘You return a friendly fighter to the battlefield, and you have already returned a friendly fighter to the battlefield.'; Change this fighter’s second ability on both sides to read:‘Action: Choose two other friendly fighters that have no Move or Charge tokens. Make one Move action with each of the chosen fighters.'

====Ironskull's Boyz====
'''All Fighters:''' Brawler

====Chosen Axes====
'''Mad Maegrim:''' Brawler

'''INSPIRATION CHANGE:''' In addition to the Inspire steps listed in the Harrowdeep rulebook, there is one Inspire step at the start of the action phase (Elathain’s Soulraid and Morgwaeth’s Blade Coven use this Inspire step) and one Inspire step at the end of the action phase (the Chosen Axes, the Farstriders, Skaeth’s Wild Hunt, the Grymwatch and the Crimson Court use this Inspire step).

====Spiteclaw's Swarm====
'''Lurking Skaven:''' Assassin, Minion

'''Hungering Skaven:''' Minion

'''Festering Skaven:''' Minion

====Magore's Fiends====
'''Riptooth:''' Hunter

'''CHAOS KEYWORD:''' Khorne

====Farstriders====
'''All fighters:''' Hunter

'''Elias Swiftblade:''' Assassin

'''INSPIRATION CHANGE:''' In addition to the Inspire steps listed in the Harrowdeep rulebook, there is one Inspire step at the start of the action phase (Elathain’s Soulraid and Morgwaeth’s Blade Coven use this Inspire step) and one Inspire step at the end of the action phase (the Chosen Axes, the Farstriders, Skaeth’s Wild Hunt, the Grymwatch and the Crimson Court use this Inspire step).

====Thorns of the Briar Queen====
'''All fighters:''' Flying

'''All Chainrasps (including the Everhanged):''' Minion

'''Varclav:''' Change Varclav’s action on both sides of the fighter card to read:‘Action: Push all friendly Chainrasps up to 2 hexes towards the nearest enemy fighter. This fighter can only make this action once per round.'

====Stormsire's Cursebreakers====
'''Ammis Dawnguard, Rastus the Charmed:''' Add the following sentence to the Empower spell action on both sides of each fighter card.‘In addition, if this spell is cast, this fighter cannot take this action again in this phase.’

====Eyes of the Nine====
'''Blue Horror/Brimstone Horrors:''' Minion

'''CHAOS KEYWORD:''' Tzeentch

====Zarbag's Gitz====
'''Prog da Netta:''' Minion

'''Dibbz:''' Minion

'''Redkap:''' Minion

'''Stikkit:''' Minion

'''Gobbaluk:''' Beast

'''Bonekrakka:''' Beast

====Godsworn Hunt====
'''Shond:''' Assassin

'''Jaggathra:''' Hunter

'''Ollo:''' Hunter

'''Grawl:''' Beast, Companion; Ollo

'''INSPIRATION CHANGE:''' Change the Inspire condition on each card to read:‘An upgrade other than an Illusion is given to this fighter.’

====Mollog's Mob====
'''Bat Squig:''' Flying, Beast, Minion

'''Spiteshroom:''' Beast, Minion

'''Stalagsquig:''' Beast, Minion

'''Mollog da Mighty:''' Change Mollog’s ability on the Inspired side to read:‘This fighter can make a Move or Charge action even if it has one Move token. In addition, when this fighter has one Charge token, it can still be activated, but cannot make superactions.’

====Thundrik's Profiteers====
'''Khazgan Drakkskewer:''' Flying

'''Garrod Alensen:''' Assassin

====Ylthari's Guardians====
'''Gallanghan of the Glade:''' Brawler

'''Ahnslaine, Revenant Archer:''' Hunter

====Lady Harrow's Mournflight====
'''All fighters:''' Flying

====Skaeth's Wild Hunt====
'''Lighaen:''' Beast, Companion; Sheoch

'''Karthaen:''' Change the Hunting Horn Action to read:‘Hunting Horn (Action): Put a Horn counter on this card. When there are one or more Horn counters on this card, re-roll any number of dice in the next attack roll made for a friendly fighter’s Attack action, then remove the Horn counters.'

'''INSPIRATION CHANGE:''' In addition to the Inspire steps listed in the Harrowdeep rulebook, there is one Inspire step at the start of the action phase (Elathain’s Soulraid and Morgwaeth’s Blade Coven use this Inspire step) and one Inspire step at the end of the action phase (the Chosen Axes, the Farstriders, Skaeth’s Wild Hunt, the Grymwatch and the Crimson Court use this Inspire step).

====Grashrak's Despoilers====
'''Draknar:''' Brawler

====The Grymwatch====
'''Master Talon:''' Minion

'''Night's Herald:''' Minion

'''Royal Butcher:''' Minion

'''The Duke's Harriers:''' Flying, Beast, Companion; Master Talon

'''INSPIRATION CHANGE:''' In addition to the Inspire steps listed in the Harrowdeep rulebook, there is one Inspire step at the start of the action phase (Elathain’s Soulraid and Morgwaeth’s Blade Coven use this Inspire step) and one Inspire step at the end of the action phase (the Chosen Axes, the Farstriders, Skaeth’s Wild Hunt, the Grymwatch and the Crimson Court use this Inspire step).

====Morgwaeth's Blade Coven====
'''Morgwaeth the Bloodied:''' Priest

'''Kyrssa:''' Assassin

'''Lethyr:''' Assassin

'''INSPIRATION CHANGE:''' In addition to the Inspire steps listed in the Harrowdeep rulebook, there is one Inspire step at the start of the action phase (Elathain’s Soulraid and Morgwaeth’s Blade Coven use this Inspire step) and one Inspire step at the end of the action phase (the Chosen Axes, the Farstriders, Skaeth’s Wild Hunt, the Grymwatch and the Crimson Court use this Inspire step).

====Hrothgorn's Mantrappers====
'''Quiv:''' Minion

'''Luggit & Thwak:''' Minion

'''Bushwakka:''' Minion

'''Thrafnir:''' Beast

====Rippa's Snarlfangs====
'''Rippa Narkbad:''' Change the Inspire condition on this card to read:‘This fighter has two or more upgrades, other than Illusions.'

====The Wurmspat====
'''Fecula Flyblown:''' Fecula Inspired: Add the Leader ‘Crown’ icon to this side of Fecula’s fighter card.

'''Ghulgoch the Butcher:''' Brawler

'''CHAOS KEYWORD:''' Nurgle

====Morgok's Krushas====
''''Ardskull:''' Brawler

====Drepur's Wraithcreepers====
'''All fighters:''' Flying

'''The Patrician:''' Change the Deathbeat reaction to read: 'Reaction: Use this after an opponent’s power step. Choose one or two friendly fighters in friendly territory. Push each chosen fighter 1 hex towards the nearest enemy fighter'.

====Myari's Purifiers====
'''Bahannar:''' Brawler

====Dread Pageant====
'''Glisette:''' Brawler

'''CHAOS KEYWORD:'''Slaanesh

====Starblood Stalkers====
'''Kixi-Taqa:''' Priest

'''Klaq-Trok:''' Brawler

'''Otapatl:''' Assassin

====Khagra's Ravagers====
'''Dour Cragan:''' Assassin

'''Razek Godblessed:''' Brawler

'''INSPIRE CONDITION CHANGE:''' ‘After an activation, there are two or more Desecration
tokens on the battlefield’

====Hedkrakka's Madmob:====
'''Wollop da Skull:''' Brawler

'''Toofdagga:''' Brawler

==== Crimson Court====
'''INSPIRATION CHANGE:''' In addition to the Inspire steps listed in the Harrowdeep rulebook, there is one Inspire step at the start of the action phase (Elathain’s Soulraid and Morgwaeth’s Blade Coven use this Inspire step) and one Inspire step at the end of the action phase (the Chosen Axes, the Farstriders, Skaeth’s Wild Hunt, the Grymwatch and the Crimson Court use this Inspire step).

====Elathain's Soulraid====
'''Fuirann:''' Brawler

'''Duinclaw:''' Beast

'''Spinefin:''' Beast

'''INSPIRATION CHANGE:''' In addition to the Inspire steps listed in the Harrowdeep rulebook, there is one Inspire step at the start of the action phase (Elathain’s Soulraid and Morgwaeth’s Blade Coven use this Inspire step) and one Inspire step at the end of the action phase (the Chosen Axes, the Farstriders, Skaeth’s Wild Hunt, the Grymwatch and the Crimson Court use this Inspire step).

=[[Meme|Memes and Jokes]]=
Like a lot of Warhammer games, Underworlds loving community loves to crack wise about the many warbands in the game and the game's mechanics.

*Eyes of the Nine - Eyes of the Nine for many was one of the most disappointing releases in Underworlds, though some diehards love them and can make them work very well.
<gallery>
File:Kcharik.png| Games Workshop themselves doesn't even know the name of one of the fighters in Eyes of the Nine. This is on the official Warhammer Underworlds website.
File:EotNWin.png| For a warband that almost never gets out of the bottom 25% placements, this Italian guy managed to get third over tons of top tier warbands in a 30 man tournament with his (now invalid) deck.
</gallery>
*Nasty Fingies - Sometimes a reveal or teaser for a warband is full of hype. Sometimes it's ruined and memed into the ground for fingerprint marks left behind by the artist.
<gallery>
File:DaKunninKrewTeaser.jpg| Gikkit here was the first model teased for the Fifth Block, Harrowdeep. This would've been really cool if a bunch of [[fa/tg/uys]] didn't immediately point out the huge fingerprint mark on the side of his base. This was photoshopped out during the official warband reveal, but /tg/ won't forget.
</gallery>
{{clear}}
{{Specialist-Games}}

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category:Games Workshop]]
[[Category:Specialist Games]]

Witchfate Tor

2023-06-08T12:05:21Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

[[File:Witchfate Tor Art.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Witchfate Tor from the Trading Card Game.]]
'''Witchfate Tor''' is a piece of [[Warhammer Fantasy]] scenery released in November, 2010.

It does not represent any particular monument as far as we know, but is a generalized tower used by a Wizard for isolation from the outside world in which they could conduct their experiments.

Notably inside on the bottom floor are a sewer grate suggesting a need for drainage and some form of plumbing (as well as a small hold on the base side to string a wire in to cause light to come up through said grate), a circle with emblems for each of the [[Warhammer Magic|Winds of Magic]], and broken cracks in the floor which reveal skulls underneath (not exactly a rarity in Warhammer architecture however, as rocks form into skull shapes naturally for whatever reasons). On the removable second floor, connected by stone stairs, is a wooden floor with gaps between the floorboards and shackles one one side of the room. Up another flight of stairs is another, similar floor. The top floor is reachable by two wooden trapdoors, leading to an open area with a crenellated parapet around it. The floor tile depicts the iron cross of the [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|Empire]] along with iconography of [[Sigmar]] including the Heldenhammer and Twin-Tailed Comet. The outside of the parapet is decorated with skulls, shields with the Twin-Tailed Comet, and hourglass icons of Morr.

Wall sections can be used at any point in the tower, and each level requires four. One has an emblem of [[Tzeentch]] visible from behind a bricked-up wall, either showing the master of the tower is a secret cultist, the tower was taken by another master who did not share the same allegiance, or Tzeentch can manipulate stonework with his corruption from a distance (not like he isn't a dick enough to put it there just for a Wizard who may have saved the Empire to be shot unceremoniously by visiting [[Witch Hunters]] instead). One panel has a depiction of [[Morr]], another two have stacks of bones on the outside like a catacomb. Inside there are cubbies containing books and candles, or skulls stacked. There are a few with windows, some more elaborate and some simple. Furthermore there are several gates which lead to an external place for a character to stand, two of stone depicting the Twin-Tailed Comet and one of wood.

Around the base is steps leading up to the entrance gate, and four pillars with skulls.

It originally retailed for $99, although after it fell out of production surviving copies shot up in price (partially because you can use multiple sets to add two more floors each, making a fuckhuge tower).

==[[Age of Sigmar]]==
We don't know how it managed to survive the end of the fucking world, only that it did. It was brought back to be sold and given its own rules, but later on qas squatted again.

===Fluff===

===Crunch===

<gallery>
Image:Witchfate Tor Light.jpg|Use of interior light.
Image:Witchfate Tor Moss.jpg|An interesting moss effect.
Image:Witchfate Tor Kitbash.JPG|An excellent use of kitbashing.
Image:Witchfate Tor 1F.jpg|The ground level.
Image:Witchfate Tor Tzeentch Level.jpg|The hidden symbol.
Image:Witchfate Tor Ledges.jpg|Another example of the upper floors.
Image:Witchfate Tor Roof.jpg|The roof.
Image:Witchfate Tor Tank.jpg|Because 40k doesn't invade Fantasy enough apparently.
Image:Witchfate Tor Age of Sigmar.png|Witchfate Tor in AoS, where it also apparently retained the [[Storm of Magic]] upgrades like a face, breathing fire, and flying based on the reused art.
</gallery>

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

Witch Elves

2023-06-08T12:04:52Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

[[File:TWWitch.png|300px|right|thumb|They can torture me...if you know what I mean...]]

{{Topquote|For fighting we use daggers, the most intimate of weapons, the most courageous instrument of death. We must get close to our enemies, smell the fear on their breath, see the desire in their eyes. You must yearn for this closeness, desire their heat upon you. For in this final dance with them you will touch Khaine. When the lifeblood spays your skin you will feel a true heat, a true passion, that no mortal can provide. This is our legacy sisters. This is our birth right.|Some Witch Elf from the ill-fated [[Warhammer Online]]}}
{{Topquote|I created her character as an antithesis to the women characters appeared in the past fighting game who are excessively exposed.|[[Metal Gear|Hideo Kojima]], explaining why [[PROMOTIONS|Fan Service]] is [[Serious Business|srs bsns]]}}

'''Witch <s>Elves</s> [[Age of Sigmar|Aelves]]''', aka the '''Brides of Khaine''', or in elfspeak, '''Maihd''' (real subtle), are the WHFB equivalent of the Drukhari [[Wyches]]. Just like their Sci-Fi kin, the Witch Elves leap into battle wearing little more than lingerie, hopped up on drugs and stimulants with blood as a chaser. They are Khaine's priestesses, and in spite of their name, do not practice any sort of magic ([[Morathi]] being the lone exception), preferring to get up close and personal, spilling blood <s>[[Valkia the Bloody|and getting off on it]]</s> and offering it to their bloody-lord.

===Hags===

Units of Witch Elves are led by a Hag, who report to Death Hags, who answer to Hag Queens, the two oldest and most powerful being Morathi and Hellebron, two rivals that hate each other's guts. Everyone already knows all about Morathi's evil and incestuous ways, and though Hellebron is just as deadly and sadistic, she is/was doomed to forever being Morathi's lesser: Hellebron is totally devoted to Khaine, but Morathi was Khaine's first, so she has a special place in his heart, even though Morathi cucks him by [[/d/|serving]] Slaanesh, Aenarion, and Malekith <s>ALLEGEDLY</s>, and you know, practicing magic.

Though the self-serving Morathi is the source of many Slaaneshi pleasure cults that first corrupted Ulthuan, and then Naggarond, she still receives Khaine's favor: even though Elves have long lifespans, they aren't immortal, so Khaine blesses his Brides with [[Rejuvenat|rejuvenating]] Cauldrons of Blood that restores their youth. This isn't permanent, however, and the Cauldron must continuously be replenished in battle or with murder; only Morathi's cauldron, the first of its kind which she claims to have received from Khaine himself, seems to have long-lasting effects, but we also can't rule out achieving eternal youth [[Slaanesh|through other means]]. Morathi uses the cauldron and her political influence to divide the loyalties of other Hags. She also bars Hellebron, the second-oldest, from using it. Hellebron must use other, lesser cauldrons to avoid becoming a shriveled old crone; these lesser cauldrons are not only weaker and more ephemeral, but also come with diminishing returns, with the rejuvenating effects lasting less and less each time.

And just to fuck with Hellebron even more, it's her job to root out Naggarond's pleasure cults, and though she has her suspicions, she can't tie them back to Morathi. Morathi isn't just protected by the nobles she manipulates, but by her son (begrudgingly), and the many Hags who've sided with Morathi over her.

===Equipment===

== Gallery ==

{{Promotions}}
<center><gallery>
File:ThoseabshaveREND.jpg|Contrary to <s>Imperial propaganda</s> Sigmar's teachings, this is how most <s>Guardsmen</s> Men of the Empire wish to die. [[Heresy|With their face pressed up against those Abs, drenched with the last hot spurts of their lifeblood]]
File:Nowcopyrightable.jpg|Drizzt? Tolkien? I'm sorry your honor, we have ''Aelves'', not Elves.

</gallery></center>
{{Template:Dark_Elf_Forces}}
[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]][[Category:Dark Elves]][[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Warp

2023-06-08T12:04:06Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

[[Image:Realm of Chaos.JPG|400px|thumb|right|A "map" of the Realm of Chaos as the Realm appeared when the map was drawn. Not pictured: Sanity, Physics.]]
{{topquote|Where we're going, we won't need eyes to see.|Dr Weir - Event Horizon}}
{{topquote|Abandon all hope, ye who enter.|The Inferno}}

ALL THE CRAZY SHIT GOES DOWN HERE.

'''The Warp''' (also called the '''Empyrean''', the '''Immaterium''',
'''Hell''', '''The realm of souls''' or sometimes simply '''Chaos''', or in [[Warhammer Fantasy]] the '''[[Realm of Chaos]]''' or '''The Winds Of Magic''') is an infinite dimension of pure magic/psychic/argent power. The Warp in Fantasy is the source of most magic in the setting and in [[Warhammer 40,000]] is a [[H.P. Lovecraft]]-inspired [[grimdark]] answer to the "hyperspace" trend that's universally present in almost all space opera for faster-than-light travel and communication...while simultaneously also being the afterlife in both. The residence of eldritch abominations such as the [[Chaos Gods]], the Warp is sort of an eldritch parallel dimension where the laws of physics no longer apply and is primarily composed of raw energy, shaped by the emotions, best dreams, worst nightmares and [[FATAL|most disgusting rape fantasies]] of those living in the real world. Think of the Warp as a mixture between ''The Far Realm'', [[/b/]], the criminal-infested dark web, and a public toilet clogged full of shit, used sex toys and trash coupled with all the drugs you can think of. It works a bit like that. Except that it's worse, because thanks to the Ruinous Powers, it'll often actively try to kill you; basically like the internet, just with more anal rape, dying horribly and less sitting around. Or Hell, if wicked and righteous people could end up there and you don't even have to die first.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqj2ZRInoNk Here is a song describing the psyche of all who are insane enough to enter this madhouse, from the lowliest Marauder to the most terrifying Chaos Lord.]
==Fantasy==
The Warp was a realm that existed before life on the planet, with the immortal Chaos Gods already formed within it (as well as most of the beings who would enter the Warp at later points in the timeline like [[N'kari]], [[Be'lakor]], and [[Karnak]] thanks to the time-fuckery of the Warp). The [[Old Ones]] connected the [[Warp Gates]] to it early on in their involvement in the Warhammer World. They channeled pure magic through it in order to create the races they wanted to fight Chaos, but as they continued to be displeased with their creations they pulled more and more energy from the Warp. This caused the Warp Gates to destabilize and explode into massive portals into the Warp, flooding the world with magic and causing massive invasions of Daemons to surge forth into the material plane.

To combat the Daemon threat, the [[High Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|Asur]] established [[Waystone]]s all over the world to suck the excess magic back into the Warp. As a result, the power of the Warp waxes and wanes; when the Warp swells with energy, the Chaos Gods within battle for control and the material plane is safe(er) from their influence. As the Warp empties, the world is invaded by hordes of Daemons from all corners. What happens in the mortal plane strengthens the Chaos gods. When greenskins march in a WAAAGH!, <strike>Khorne</strike> GorkaMorka grows in strength and towers over his neighbors. The more magic is cast, the more influence Tzeentch can exert over his pawns both within and without the Realm of Chaos. As death, famine, rot and despair become more prevalent after wars destroys the land, Nurgle becomes the dominant power in the Warp. When times of peace come and art, pride, and hedonism come to the people Slaanesh finds himself <s>spreading</s>
rubbing <s>his</s> <s>her</s> THEIR taint across both realms.

Originally, all gods existed to a degree within the Warp. [[Khaine]] led many of the elf gods against the Chaos Gods, scarring Slaanesh permanently and cutting the forces of Chaos for many years to come. Despite this, the elf gods were forced into the material plane in a weakened state while Khaine was forced into a mortal form. The gods of the Humans were also forced from it at some point in time, eventually residing within their temples in the [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|Empire]]. Dwarf gods, possibly due to the nature of Dwarfs themselves to disrupt the power of the Warp, were notably absent from mention in the Warp.
In addition to the Four, there was also [[Chaos Gods of Order]] and [[Malal]] within the Warp. While they have not been mentioned in recent fluff, they were not retconned as existing either. The [[Horned Rat]] is also a Warp entity, <s>being a Greater Daemon of Nurgle which</s> created a race of [[Skaven|rat mutants]] in his bid for godhood. He currently resides within <s>Nurgle's realm, hiding from his former master</s> the Realm of Ruin.

In the [[End Times]] event, [[Nagash]] consumes two gods of Death and binds himself to a full eight of magic (meaning all of the Warp), becoming a Chaos entity if not outright Chaos God. The gods of the humans diminish greatly in strength as their temples in Altdorf are attacked and desecrated, while the strength of [[Sigmar]] is split between both in his reincarnation [[Valten]] and the current Emperor of the Empire, [[Karl Franz]] creating a true living God Emperor being in Fantasy.

==40k==
In the universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Warp is the [[Grimdark]] answer to the "Hyperspace" trend that's universally present in almost all Space Opera for [[FTL (Warhammer 40,000)|faster-than-light travel]] and communication. Unlike in Fantasy, the Warp in 40k is actually an adaptation of two metaphysical frameworks: Plato's World of Ideas, and Carl Jung's Collective Unconscious. Both describe a conceptual metaphysical dimension consisting of the common Ideas and thoughts present in all existence. In Platonic philosophy, all the Ideas we think are actually manifestations of a higher Extradimensional Idea. To Jung, our collective Unconscious is populated by such absolute and unending Ideas, known as Archetypes; Gods in Classical mythology are an example of this.

Every little thought or emotion affects this Collective Unconscious to some degree. Most people can't do much to the warp on their own, but lots of people thinking similar thoughts or feeling similar things will have a pronounced effect, especially if said people are psychic, a la the world of ''[[Mage: The Ascension]]''. Even worse is that as part of our unconscious is born out of our worst collective nightmares, we can never rid ourselves of these daemons. Gods, who specialize in specific forms of thought and feeling, are born from this place when psychic energy accumulates with a critical mass (an example is the [[Emperor]] created by countless shamans committing suicide at the same time). This is the reason why the Chaos Gods, are well, chaotic to the extreme, because the Material Universe and everybody inhabiting it are themselves chaotic to the extreme and in need of serious psychiatric therapy and/or purging.

According to old parts of lore the Material Universe is affected by the big four Chaos Gods fighting each other for supremacy. If [[Khorne]] has taken the lead? A lot more fighting and war. [[Nurgle]]? More plagues and decay. [[Slaanesh]]? A lot more torture and rape. [[Tzeentch]]? A lot more Machiavellian scheming and [[JUST AS PLANNED]]. The validity of this is debatable as it comes from Chaos worshippers themselves, and we know how legit these guys are when it comes to information about the warp.

If you're not a [[Chaos]] god, a Chaos Spess Mehreen or a [[Daemon|Daemon]], you have no business staying here without [[Call of Cthulhu| Sanity checks]] (Unless you're [[Kaldor Draigo]], [[Oxyotl]], [[Leman Russ]] (according to [[If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device]]), or if you're the motherfucking [[Lion El'Jonson|Lion]] who is so [[awesome|baller]] he subconsciously created his ''[[Mirror-Caliban|own sub-realm]]'' within the Warp, in which case you can freely stroll around, burning down Nurgle's Garden, killing Slaanesh's personal Handmaidens and [[Plot armour|breaking Canon with every step]]). The [[Imperium of Man]] has [[Gellar Field|shitty protection against it]], and effectively plays a game of Russian roulette in hopes that they wouldn't get themselves dismembered alive in 11 dimensions speeding towards wherever the [[Empra]] tells them to. Which of course means that all the races of the galaxy flock to the Warp like dumbass boy scouts to a knot-tying badge, except for the [[Tau]] (who are only just discovering these horrors awaiting their tasty naivete, with their primitive Warp-Drives only skimming the stable surface of the Warp), the [[Necrons]] (which hate it, and thus use a Star Trek-like FTL that functions in realspace and therefore does not need the Warp. [[RAGE|FUCKING CHEATERS]].), and the [[Tyranids]] who use wonky gravity manipulation to get around when they need FTL travel. The [[Eldar]] and [[Dark Eldar]] are also somewhat cheating, as they use the [[Webway]] which is like a complex network of highways through the Warp once engineered by the now-extinct [[Old Ones]] when the Warp was a lot more stable back then, a lot safer but a hell of a lot easier to get lost in. If the Warp is the deep web, then the webway is like Tor, which provide an anonymous safety from being 1337 H4X0Red by the FBI, sentient viruses or horrendous cybercriminals, only that in this Tor you'll have to encrypt all the confusing maths and find the global servers yourself.

However this doesn't mean there are no benevolent entities in warp, the problem is that either that specific benevolent entity is the Emperor (who's now <s>catatonic</s> in a position where he has no mouth and must scream, while his soul is being used as a psychic navigation lighthouse in the Warp called the Astronomicon), or they interfere with Materium once in a billion years, and when they do, they actually do nothing of significance. Also, benevolent entities would get consumed by evil entities, and/or are quickly exaggerated or "Warp"ed into something evil due to the massive amount of suffering in the material world. Or since 99% of the stuff in the warp wants to kill you and eat your soul, they also tend to just get ignored.
[[Image:Thewarp.jpg|300px|thumb|right|A mortal's limited rendition of the Warp.]]

=== History ===
{{Cleanup}}
Supposedly (according to <strike> many theorists</strike> the most crusty and privileged Imperial historians with access to the oldest records available) one of the earliest and possibly the first encounter of Humanity with the horrors of the Warp occurred sometime during the third millennium with the 'Merican starship Event Horizon. While the ship's gravity drive did successfully open a gateway in spacetime, it leapt outside the known universe and into another dimension, described later on by Dr. Weir as "a dimension of pure Chaos, pure evil". The Event Horizon has since then gained an evil sentience, telekinetic abilities and some grimdark Gothic aesthetics, tormenting and mind-raping its occupants with the aim of compelling them to return to "Hell". The Event Horizon gradually faded in the records of spaceship accidents with the development of the Gellar field, until humanity would rediscover the true danger of the Warp 24 millennia later, stronger and more fucking horrifying than ever.

[[Doom | There is another report of a warp invasion on Mars and Terra back in the 15th millenia that was fought off by a lone Human.]] (<s>Though it was thought</s> it is confirmed that he is a similar entity to the Emperor which throws his humanity <s>into question</s> out the window) he fought wave after wave of daemons on mars until he and his allies were killed in an ambush by the daemons, and the [[C’tan]]. However, did his physical death stop the marine? FUCK NO! This marine's collective [[RAGE]] (and the energy siphoned from the daemons he killed) was strong enough to give him a physical presence in the warp and he fought,[[RIP AND TEAR | ripping and tearing ]] his way out of hell until eventually killing the bloodthirstier leading the invasion. When he returned to reality, he discovered that the incursion spread to Earth as well. And so he ripped and tore his way through the daemon armies until he came face to face to the manifestation of evil. It is said that the marine came face to face with [[Khorne]] or at least a manifestation him. After beating the shit out of [[If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device|MegaSatan]],[[Kaldor Draigo |he pranced through the Immaterium]],[[RIP AND TEAR| ripping and tearing every single daemon he could come across.]]...Until a bunch of bloodletters got the jump on him and locked him in a box...but then he broke out. Then the C’tan tried to invade earth '''again'''. He said '''FUCK THAT''' and did the same thing all over again...but this time he killed the head C’tan too (and had there dimension assimilated into the warp).

[[Awesome |TL:DR HE CAME, HE SAW, '''HE RIPPED AND TORE DAEMON GUTS...AND ANGEL BRAINS.''']]
he is currently being contained in a stasis pod somewhere in the Immaterium...that is said to be guarded by Khorne himself, and unlike [[Lion El'Johnson]] he really doesn't want to be woken up.

During the time of the dinosaurs and before, the [[Old_Ones_(Warhammer)|Old Ones]] were cranking out powerful psykers like there was no tomorrow, shitting out creatures like [[Ork|Orks]], [[Eldar]], [[Slann]], and who knows what else to fight the endless tide of [[Necron|mummy robots]] and [[C'tan|star eating, life energy nomming lovecraftian energy gods]], (That look more like squid people in there native realm) and they still lost (they might have had a traitor among them).
All the [[Rage|RRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEEEEEEEGGGG!!!!!!]] felt during the fighting by all those powerfully psychic races as they fought and died changed the warp in the milky way from a calm place where you could get anywhere you wanted without much trouble transformed into the hell hole it is now, minus the daemons. Instead, there were squid jellyfish parasites called [[Enslavers]] who would [[grimdark|mind control psykers and eventually turn them into a warp portal which would both kill the psyker and allow more Enslavers to come out]]. (They still show up every now and then to make life miserable for everyone else in the galaxy.)

The [[Eldar]] hid like a bunch of pussies in the webway system while the few remaining old ones who weren't killed by the [[Necron|Necrons]] and the [[C'tan]] were wiped out by the Enslavers; the [[Slann]]... did something; and the [[Ork|Orks]] survived and made their [[Mork|own]] [[Gork|gods.]]

After a while Humanity evolved and were once led by powerful psykers known as the Shamans. They used to reincarnate, but the gestation of who would soon be the Ruinous Powers of Chaos rendered them unable to do that and instead their souls were consumed by the Warp (There's a theory that implied that this gestation was triggered by a massive disturbance in the Warp by the first most reprehensible action in humanity, "The First Murder", when someone killed his brother in cold blood. This is obviously a reference to [[Kane|Cain]] and Abel) These Shamans were forced to commit mass suicide at the same time so that all their souls would merge into a single entity able to protect Mankind from the Ruinous Powers: The [[Emperor]]. He guided Mankind under various guises until the [[Dark Age of Technology]] when Humans invented the Navigators and the [[Gellar Field]] to go through the Warp and colonize the galaxy.

Unfortunately the Eldar fell into massive debauchery and being an entire race of psykers caused the Birth of Slaanesh and the [[Age of Strife]] where the Warp was turned into the daemon-and-tentacle-rape-infested shit-pit it is now. The Emperor created the [[Astronomicon]] as a guiding beacon for [[Navigator]]s but that was just a metaphorical Band-Aid for his real solution to conquer the Webway using a psychic amplifier called the Golden Throne and exterminate those damned space elves once and for all. They did deserve it for birthing Slaanesh. Unfortunately, during the [[Horus Heresy]], [[Magnus the Red]] just had to make that psychic phone call that damages the Throne forcing [[Malcador the Sigillite]] to clog the Throne with his psychic powers while the Emperor and Horus brutalized each other. Malcador crumbled to dust just as the Emperor's massive golden ass was placed on the Throne and now in the 41st Millennium he is in a perpetual state of eternal torture trying to clog the daemon-infested Webway with his ass so that Terra would not turn into a second Eye of Terror, while Humanity now has to sacrifice thousands of psykers just to keep the Throne running. And for all his troubles, Magnus was made a Daemon Prince and the eternal pawn of Tzeentch. [[Grimdark]]. And then [[Abaddon]] finally did it, ripping open the Eye of Terror into the [[Great Rift]] dividing the galaxy in half.

==Age of Sigmar==
{{Main|Realm of Chaos}}
Now with [[Skavenblight]] sandwiched between it and the eight material realms, giving Skaven access to everywhere.

{{AoS-Realms}}

==Related phenomena==
Just as with Earth's oceans, the Warp occasionally has storms here and there that block all shipping within the neighborhood. Warp storms were largely responsible for the collapse of 40k's pre-Imperial human civilizations, when every planet was suddenly isolated and left to the mercy of daemon-possessed psykers. In Fantasy, [[Storm of Chaos|Warp Storm]] cause a massive swell in the strength of any magic used, allowing great and terrible feats as the world itself warps and mutates.

The Warp also plays havoc with space and time. Journey times through the Warp are variable and not possible to predict with great accuracy. A given journey could take days or weeks depending on your luck. If you're really unlucky, a journey that usually takes days may take centuries, while you only experienced a few hours of travel time, so the war you came to fight is long over and everyone you know is dead. You might even wind up at your destination several weeks ''before'' you set off, and enjoy the priceless looks of horror on the faces of the inhabitants of the planet below that they're about to be hit by an Ork WAAAGH! You can also end up popping out few hundred years in the past and get yourself executed by the Inquisition for trying to impose someone who does not exist yet. Time is so flexible in the warp that at one point an Ork Waaagh arrived before it left and the Warboss killed himself to get two of his favorite gun, or guns. This is certainly a great way for [[C.S. Goto|shitty writers]] to resolve plot holes and inconsistencies. [[Doctor Who|"Timey-wimey, warply-darply, stuff."]] [[Ordo Chronos]] used to do something with these time-travellers, but disappeared for some reason.

==Is The Warp The Same Thing In Aos/Fantasy/40k?==

For now, [https://www.reddit.com/r/40kLore/comments/cs5pi3/what_was_the_best_lore_retcon/exe1ogq/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x yes]. It is indeed the same Warp of Fantasy and Age of Sigmar because GW decided that having two (or three) versions of the same extradimensional hell party on LSD was too tiresome to keep up with.
[[File:dangyougrommy.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Finally clearing up the question until GW rewrites the lore again]]

This is of course a huge source of [[skub]] and so it's best approached in a careful manner whenever the topic comes up.

==Anti-warp measures==
By this point you may be wondering why is that no one has developed extensive measures to counter warp based phenomena, the answer is that, yes, it has been some serious attempts, with variable measures of success.

===In 40k===
The biggest project to shutdown the warp for good was done by the C'tan and the Necrons before they jumped on the former and turned them into pokemón. During the [[War in Heaven|War in Heaven]], they built a vast network of pylons made from the substance known as Noctilith to effectively negate the Old Ones' main advantage, that being the use of their Webway. Interestingly this may actually explain the boundaries of the current Eye of Terror, as it appears to be that the Necrons built the network with the specific idea to surround the Eldar's core territories as they were slowly becoming more advanced while the Old Ones were getting pwned across the galaxy. Unfortunately for the Necrons, the Eldar developed quicker than expected, and with their own rebellion against the C'tan crippling them, made them abandon the network project midway. How this would have affected the Necrons themselves now that they depend on the Webway through the Dolmen Gates is a great source of speculation.

A derived example of this sort of technology is the Null Field Matrix, which allows a Tomb World to deny the effects of the warp in their immediate territory, effectively crippling everything warp-related, unfortunately it appears these sort of devices are quite fragile and indeed would be a major target in any battle against the Necrons by anything warp-based.

The Necrons apparently tried a different approach too, developing the pariah warp gene, this point however has conflicting sources, as it appears sometimes the gene occurs naturally without their direct intervention, maybe it's effectively a natural occurrence, and the skelebots just decided to make it more common through genetic manipulation.

In the case of the Imperium they have the Geller Field technology as their most widespread way to deal with the warp, supposedly what the Geller Field generator does is creates a "bubble" of reality around the ship so it can travel across the warp instead of the neutralize it, this bubble seems to still allow for minor warp events to happen such as the sending and receiving of astropathic messages.

The second antiwarp "technology" used by the Imperium are wards and rituals to contain Chaos pollution, this seems to be still warp-based as rather than completely nullify the energies of the immaterium it redirects its flow and shapes it so it can deny the most negative effects of the warp, this also seems to be the basic of the chaos-denying quality of Faith in 40k, as it "naturally" shields the individual through the redirection of chaos-based warp energy through more orderly currents although this may be an overly simplification and there may be more factors, as all things related to faith it's nigh impossible to measure.

The third mechanism for the Imperium to block warp-phenomena is the use of blanks, be it in the form of agents trained by the Inquisition, or the Assassin temples. Although sometimes blanks who weren't caught by the Black Ships pop up here and there as literary devices. Another, bleaker way is by using the remains of the blanks in the form of missiles with warhead cores made of their ashes, it's not specified if the blanks are actively killed, or the Imperium just waits for them to die, although in this particular case the latter would make more sense as a blank is too much of a valuable resource to be used up in a single attack unless the need is too extreme, but then again, this is 40k so you may expect both cases to happen.

The fourth measure to deal with the warp is being really racist and paranoid and killing would be Psykers immediately. This is actually somewhat effective. Wild Psykers are the most frequently way for warp shit to gain access to reality so if your diligent about dealing with Psykers and keep there population low you keep a lot of warp shenanigans from happening the first place.

And with the current advance of the plotline, Belisarius Cawl seems to be working in retro-engineering the Necron Noctilith based technologies to find a way to close the Cicatrix Maledictum, and the Necrons aren't quite too happy about the kleptomaniacs in the priesthood of Mars stealing their property and war has erupted in many systems.

The Orks, being Orks, have a straightforward and simple solution to this problem just as they do any other. They nail great big teeth onto their ships as an offering to Gork and Mork for safe passage. If that doesn't work, they can always fight the daemons instead, which makes for great entertainment while you're floating through the Warp on a derelict hulk. Interestingly it may be that "orkiness" works in a similar way to human faith when it comes to shielding adverse effects from the warp.

Tau are a bit of a mixed bag as for the most part they don't even believe there is any danger to the warp at all, which is terrible naive of them, but they got dealt a good hand in that they souls are particularly 'dim' in the warp which means they tend not to get noticed by the nasty things out there anyway.

===In Fantasy/AoS===

In the current AoS setting it's the Kharadron Overlords the ones who have been looking for a way to neutralize magic-related phenomena, with the development of the magic-dampening null projectors and voidstone scatter-mines, these technologies seem to be costly and not widespread, but it appears to have effects both upon the Winds of Magic and Chaos-born powers although this hasn't been explored more than beyond some minor references.

Supposedly Azyr's magic has a strong anti-Chaos/Death effect, it's not clear if this is natural or the fact its incarnate is Sigmar, but it may be say that this source is still warp-based, the other Winds of Magic may have a similar potentiality but Azyr appears to be the best way to go when it comes to fighting Chaos. Probably this was done in order to link the best at chaos-smashing attribute to Sigmar's own power, as in Fantasy it was Hysh the wind of Light that was the most effective at purging Demons.

Faith seems to have a rather similar effect than 40k, with the best example being the Hallowed Knights, who have such a strong faith it shields them from adverse Chaos effects such as Nurgle's plagues.

Nagash has (perhaps unintentionally) stumbled on something similar with the magic-resistant Ossiarch Bonereapers of the Null Myriad. After being harshly opposed by the forces of Order, Nagash had them hide on the edges of Shyish, where they fought off many daemonic armies.

==Hitchhiker's guide to the warp==
* If you are NOT Chaos, Chaos-affilliated, Chaos-favored, a Blank, Wulfen or a subject of "the divinity machine," [[Fist of the North Star|you are already dead]] as the yawning abyss would have ripped your body apart and torn your soul asunder the moment you got close.
** Caveat: [[Tuska Daemonkilla|If youz an ork ave fun krumpen all da stuff with spikez on it!]]
*** In Warhammer Fantasy, the Warp only holds non-Daemon attack hazards for beings who are tempted by Chaos (so mostly just weak-minded humans). In fact, there is a character lost within the Warp who the Chaos Gods have forbidden from being harmed, as a parody of Dante's Inferno.
** Being favored by Chaos is difficult, but is possible with the right [[Chaos Gods|"connections"]]. If you have earned favor with one of those connections you will be given a "pass"; this "pass" [[Chaos Spawn|comes]] [[Daemon Prince|in many]] [[Chaos Space Marine|forms]], some of which are painful. It is also '''not''' "all access."
* If you stop at a reflecting pool (the Warp equivalent of a truck stop), a certain chaos god may or may not be waiting to rape you in more ways than one.
* If you find Eldar stranded here, please sacrifice them to eternal torture under Slaanesh for fucking everything up.
** Do remember not to attempt this while near Khornates as they ''will'' rip your entrails out and garotte you...or worse.
** If you just kill the Eldar the Khornate will leave you alone... maybe.
* Feel free to Ride a screamer of Tzeentch like your own magical demon [[My Little Pony|pony]] through the stars.
** Disclaimer: This action would require you to bind the daemon to your will. This may or may not result in the screamer eating your face off and drinking your soul like delicious tears.
** Do note the animosity between Yssarile empire forces and Tzeentchian forces.
* Feel free to eat the cookies-- they're warp-tastic (only take one or Slaanesh will lock you in her personal dungeon to make more)!
* If you wandered into the formless wastes, find a way out. Chaos Undivided is a bit boring.
** Do be careful to avoid the furies who will gang up and kill you because they have nothing better to do.
*** Alternatively, if you are a [[Daemon|Greater Daemon]], [[Daemon Prince]], or [[Emperor|being]] [[Primarchs|of equal]] [[Doom|or superior]] [[Kaldor Draigo|willpower]], the Formless Wastes aren't a bad place to set up shop. Just don't stay for very long... it ''does'' tend to get boring after a little while.
* If you wandered into the soul forges, be prepared for remodelling. You'll soon be <s>a daemon engine</s> fed into the soul furnaces; your screaming, eternally tormented soul will be used as fuel, and your bodily remains will likely become a new daemon.
* If you wandered into the Fortress of [[Khorne]], beat the living shit out of something before it beats the shit out of you. The fortress arenas accept all visitors as fighters unless they have visited more than 16 times (at which point they are considered a "resident"), or their name is on the black slate. Those who survive 84 rounds in the arena will be made into a [[Bloodletter]].
** If you are a resident you will be given a choice of arena to enter from the 64 circles (visitors' arenas are randomly chosen). Please visit the sanctum of Kadingir for further information (there will be sign skull pikes directing you to the office, and no they do not clean the blood off the floor).
** If your name '''is''' on the black slate, entry to the arena made be made '''by appointment only'''. You are on the slate because you have either '''seriously depleted''' Khorne's forces last time you came, you cheated while in the arena, or both. The color of your name will indicate your status: purple is for cheaters, red is for victors. You may make an appointment to redeem yourself in Khorne's eyes or to challenge the endless carnage record. The current record for endless carnage is held by one "DoomGuy" at 9847 rounds; in second place is [[Skarbrand]] at 485 rounds, and in last place is [[Abbadon the Despoiler|Abbadon]] at 6 rounds.
*** To make an appointment please enter the sanctum of Kadingir, state your name, present your weapon of choice (you will be restricted to 5 weapons at maximum; at least one must be melee only, and no weapons with a maximum range higher that 15 imp corpses will be accepted (measurement guide provided at office)), and your arena of choice. Appointments must be made at least 8 minutes in advance in order to give time for your opponents to revive or wake as well as for the blood servants to collect any skulls still on the ground. Then enter the brass armory to select your weapons and proceed to the elevator to the arenas.
** Do be careful not to wander into the Juggernaut pens (they are clearly marked by skulls). They ''will'' gore you until you're a stain on the floor. If you do escape, the Bloodletters will stab you for entering the Juggernaut pens without permission.
*** Juggernaut rodeos are only on Sundays between the hours of 8 o'candle and 6 o'candle. Bring your own gear.
** If you died fighting in Khorne's name and were carried off by a [[Valkia the Bloody|smoking hot daemonic Viking chick in red armour]] - congratulations, you may have entered Chaos Valhalla.
* If you wandered into the Palace of [[Slaanesh]], fap or schlick depending what parts you have. You might become a [[Daemonette]]
** If Slaanesh is feeling whimsical, you might instead end up as his/her new sex toy for fetishes best not described.
* If you wandered into the Garden of [[Nurgle]] you WILL become a [[Plaguebearer]], regardless if you do anything or not. Unless you're a [[Kaldor Draigo|Mary Sue]].
** If you manage to impress Nurgle by lasting a while you might end up as a Herald instead.
** If you are about to succumb to super Ebola in the Garden of Nurgle proceed to pop pimples/blackheads on your face and post it on YouTube. Who knows? You may actually gain Grandfather's favor. This is a last resort though and you will still end up a Plaguebearer.
** Alternatively, you may be eaten by one of the Garden's denizens or the Garden itself before you succumb to its many plagues. You may still become a Plaguebeaer after they shit you out, though.
* If you wandered into the Maze of [[Tzeentch]]... you're screwed.
** Do note this is because of the maze's purely magical nature. It is very likely you will either have your mind broken and be forced to wander the Maze for all eternity; have your immortal soul absorbed by the Maze; or wander into one of the Maze's continually spawning spires where you will be trapped for all eternity. Just as planned.
** When the eight chaos stars are aligned, the Halosphere can assess the heart of the Crystal Labyrinth.
* If you're [[Oxyotl]] or [[Kaldor Draigo]], troll away.
** If you're NOT a Skink or Kaldor Draigo, meet up with Oxyotl, Kaldor Draigo and [[Leman Russ]], [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UHNJUgat2i8 get hammered (it is safe to drink despite the aura of menace), and troll together.]
*** If you find none of these gentlemen, start screaming that none of this is real and that gods are fake. When a short, plump, bald man appears next to you, proceed to troll away.
* If you pop up next to [[Forces of Malal|the Eternal Mansion of Malal]], talk nicely to the closest Guardian of Contradictions to let you in. You will successfully enter [[Wat|while suffering in the Barbed Forests of doubt, trying to escape the Great Oval of Unbelief, being NOMMED to spawn Paradoxes in the Nest of Ironies, AND running between the Moving Towers while Ticks try to hunt you down. Such is the way of a god that makes rolling a 7 with a d6 possible.]]
* If you are a Son of Malice, steal stuff screaming how you will kill them all!
** Alternatively you may try to catch daemons and proceed to use them to battle other daemons like grimdark Pokémon.
* Watch out for demon rats in the Great Horned Rat's realm of ruin.
* If you're a Null... how the fuck did you manage that?! Oh well, you're pretty much invincible. Have fun, troll away.
** Keep in mind that anything you touch or even approach (depending on your power) will likely dissolve into nothing. This includes things you stand on, like floors, bridges and stairs. This may even include air - so while psykers and even regular humans can get away by believing there is air around and warp being twisted by their will to manifest that belief, you're stuck with what you brought with you from the realspace.
* Yes, those pieces of toast are actually following you back to your warp hut. No, you're not high on warp dust. Feel free to eat them-- they taste like the cookies.
* For the more technically-inclined, find and join the [[Dark Mechanicum]] as a Heretek. It might take a century or several. Eventually the amount of menial labor will allow you access to the good shit that those Luddites working for the Corspe-God hoard for themselves. You won't care about the screams of your victims because you'll have implants to tune it out. You might have to modify or dispose of your fleshheap of a body but hey, you are a cyborg now. You can build yourself an awesome all new one. With booze and hookers. Just remember to choose or create tech serfs that are smart and loyal enough to not screw it up. After a Millennium of mad science and some luck. One day you could end up on par with [[Anacharis Scoria]] and sucker punch [[Primarchs]] like he can.
* Be careful as there is no leaving the kingdom ''Alterity''.
* The Allpoints lead to the eight realms, it is occupied by Archaon.
* Corvus Corax and the Legion of the Damned might help you.

[[Category:Warhammer Fantasy]] [[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Chaos]]

Ulgu

2023-06-08T12:01:18Z

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In Warhammer, Ulgu is the Grey Wind of Magic that is the Aethyr's reflection of the experience of being lost and confused, and was used to power the illusions of the Lore of Shadows. In Age of Sigmar, it coalesced into the Realm of Ulgu.

==Overview==
Ulgu is the Mortal Realm we as an audience know the least about. You can argue this is very fitting, considering its very nature is based on secrecy and illusion.

Ulgu is said to be divided into Thirteen Dominions. We know little about these dominions, except that ultimately all answer to Ulgu's supreme leader, Malerion. The nations of Ulgu are said to rely heavily on political intrigue, backstabbing and assassination. Indeed, many of them had ceased performing conventional war altogether, which came back to bite them in the ass when the Age of Chaos happened and they had no standing armies to defend themselves from hordes of daemons and Slaves to Darkness.

Ulgu is in a mutual orbit with its opposite realm, [[Hysh]]. Whenever Ulgu eclipses Hysh, night is caused in the other Mortal Realms. There's also a secret [[demiplane]] linking the two realms that partakes of both their fundamental natures at once, called '''Uhl-Gysh'''; the Aelfen gods have agreed to keeps its existence their little secret, since this is where they've locked up [[Slaanesh]].

==History==
About as little is known about Ulgu before the arrival of the Pantheon of Order as any other realm, but it is notable that several archaeologists based on ancient artifacts believe that the Daemon Prince [[Be'lakor]] was the original ruler of this realm before being kicked out by Malerion.

The god of Ulgu, Malerion, and his mother Morathi both woke up in Ulgu during the Age of Myth. After years of wandering, they finally discovered one another by chance. Although both parties had bitter grudges from the World-That-Was (and Morathi was jealous of her son's godhood), they ultimately stuck around each-other primarily out of loneliness, as they were the only other Aelves they had seen in generations. While Morathi wanted to evenly split rulership of Ulgu, Malerion only gave her the Umbral Veil, the shittiest land in Ulgu from which no one but him had had returned, out of spite. He had underestimated his mother, for she managed to successfully tame this deathtrap of a land and created the city of Hagg Nar. Malerion in turn created his own capital city, Druchiroth.

Eventually Morathi and Malerion would team up with their Hysh counterparts, Tyrion and Teclis, to imprison Slaanesh and free the souls inside him to create new aelven races. Morathi would create the Scathborn, creatures resembling hybrids between aelves and gorgons or harpies, while Malerion would create his own race of shadow aelves that we haven't seen but will probably be their own army one day. During this time, Morathi would also co-opt the cult of the dead god [[Khaine]] that was growing in her lands, creating the [[Daughters of Khaine]] as her own theocratic empire/secret scheme for godhood.

When the Age of Chaos hit, many in Ulgu would flee to Azyr, forming the Ordo Serpentis and Darkling Covens. Malerion and Morathi's forces didn't pussy out, instead beginning a centuries-long guerilla war called the Cathtrar Dule to secure control of Ulgu. This war still goes on long into the Age of Sigmar, and has intensified ever since Morathi's recklessness in taking too many Aelven souls caused the Godseekers of Slaanesh to start thinking Ulgu smells like their missing master.

As time passed, Morathi would become more overt in her plans for godhood, eventually culminating in the [[Broken Realms Saga]]. With this, Morathi would fully become Khaine himself and declare herself as independent from Sigmar's pantheon. That declaration, however, would be short-lived as she found herself still forced to cooperate with Sigmar in rebuffing the twin assaults on Excelsis.

==Other Noteworthy Factions==
Aside from the forces of Morathi and Malerion, there are other groups that have set up shop in the Realm of Shadow.

*[[Gloomspite Gitz|The Badsnatchers]]: A strangely brazen horde of grots that regularly pillage the surface world as they believe that the Bad Moon has already covered the whole realm in the Everdank. Though likely false, anyone who tries to tell them other wise will usually find a poison covered shiv in the back soon after. They are led by Ogwotz Da Magnificent, who controls seven large lurklairs in the Hushed Hills as his own kingdom.

*[[Ogor Mawtribes|Underguts Mawtribe]]: Cavernous Ogors with sickly pale skin and a fondness for things that go boom. They live in Mount Bellows, a former duardin hold that the Ogors captured on account of the obscene number of cannons the fortress contained. The Underguts Mawtribe have developed a knack for [[Iron Warriors|siege warfare]], favoring to tunnel underneath enemy walls and then blast upwards into the back lines with explosive force. Their current Overtyrant is one Grumlog Blisterhands.

*[[Fyreslayers|Caengan Lodge]]: Fiery duardin mercenaries who learned the tricksy and deceptive ways of Ulgu from an ancient nation called the Shroudling Kings. Said ways were turned against the Shroudlings when they refused to pay the Lodge for their services. The Caengan Lodge razed the kingdom and took their payment and retribution as recompense.

*[[Clan Eshin|Clans Eshin]]: The assassins and spies of Skavendom are mostly concentrated in the Realm of Shadows, though (big surprise) no one knows where exactly they’re hidden.

*[[Cities of Sigmar|Misthåvn]]: The “City of Scoundrels” was created from massive ships of varying races all lashed together. It’s infamous among the Azyrites for its corrupt policies, underhanded combat strategies, and a very lucrative illegal narcotics market.

*[[Slaanesh|Godseekers of Slaanesh]]: Morathi’s aforementioned meddling with souls has drawn the attention of the Dark Prince’s most devout followers who scour them Realms for any clue of their master’s whereabouts about how to release him. Their most recent engagement was assaulting the Umbral Veil whilst Morathi enacted her scheme to become a goddess, and retreating to follow Slaanesh's newborn as it fled the battle and witnessed it becoming the two godspawn Decessa and Synessa.

*Ulguan Gargants: A larger subspecies of gargant, possibly Mega-Gargant, native to Ulgu, said to consume light and whose shadows are able to blot out continents.

==Trivia==
* The realmstone native to Ulgu is called Falsestone, named such for its illusory nature that makes it nigh-imperceptible to those without some sort of witch-sight. Even touching it floods the mind with all sorts of hallucinations, leading to Falsestone being relatively ill-understood. However, this deceptive nature also allows it to be easily alloyed, allowing for armor that looks like conventional clothes and even towers hidden behind mists.

{{AoS-Realms}}

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

Torgillius the Chamberlain

2023-06-08T12:00:10Z

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[[File:Tortigillius.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Tortigulis el Chambelán]]

'''Torgillius the Chamberlain''' is a [[necromancer]] from the world of [[Warhammer: Age of Sigmar]]. Trusted vassal of [[Radukar]], he is the Lord of Ulfenkarn's right hand man, in part because Torgillius has an interest outside of just animating the dead - using his magic to control and command rats and other vermin, which gives him an unparalleled spy network.

Not to be confused with his evil Mexican twin Tortigulis, who merely runs a shady food truck in the bad part of town. He ALSO has the power to command rats, BTW.

{{Template:Soulblight Gravelords Characters}}

The Great Parch

2023-06-08T11:59:19Z

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[[File:TheGreatParch.jpg|thumb|600px|right|]]

The Great Parch is a continent located in the Realm of [[Aqshy]], one of the eight worlds of [[Warhammer: Age of Sigmar]]. It is the region that the [[Age of Sigmar Roleplay]] game is initially set in.

The continent is also the site of a number of major events in the AOS timeline:

* It was here that Grimnir fell fighting the Godbeast Vulcatrix, and in their mutual destruction scattered Ur-Gold across the Realms. Following this, the first Fyreslayers would discover this divine substance in the Great Parch and would go on to found the Vostarg Lodge, the first and oldest of the Lodges.

* During the opening stages of the Age of Chaos, the various tribes of the Flamescar Plateau began to slowly succumb to the influence of Khorne, including one warrior named Athol Khul, later known as Khorgos Khul. Khorgos would go on to create the infamous Goretide, a Khornate horde so vast that it would devastate and massacre vast swathes of civilization in Aqshy and beyond.

*Sigmar's forces would make their first major push to retake the Realms in the Great Parch, with the Hammers of Sigmar driving out the Goretide and securing footholds for the forces of Order around the various Realmgates on the continent.

*Gotrek Gurnisson would make landfall in the Mortal Realms in the Great Parch, eventually going on to save Hammerhal Aqsha from being destroyed from within by a Tzeentch cult.

==Notable Locations==

===Aridian===
A land never reconquered by Sigmar's forces, the majority of Aridian is ruled by the Chaos Lords collectively known as the Scavenger Kings, with the local Fyreslayers and their allies being the only major force of Order left.

*Vostargi Mount: A giant volcano said to be formed from the heart of Vulcatrix. Lots of Fyreslayer lodges are based here (most notably the Vostarg lodge), but there's also the city of Brimstone built for foreigners to conduct business with them.

*The Forge Anathema: Chaos Dwarf fortress that sells weapons to anybody willing to deal with them.

*The Reaver Wastes: A bloody battleground where tribes alternately loyal to Sigmar and Khorne smack the shit out of eachother. Outsiders sometimes come here seeking to scavenge the ruins of Ahramentia, the capital of the Agloraxi Empire. Too bad that Archaon's also interested in it, and has sent a Chaos warband called the Doom Lords to prevent anybody from nicking the goods he thinks are rightfully his.

===Aspiria===
One of two major nations that survived the Age of Chaos, Aspiria is a confederation of magocratic city-states formed of wizards who broke off from the Agloraxi empire.

*Lumnos: The last of the Aspirian city-states, and the home of the House of Rising Embers, one of the most esteemed colleges (for both the magical and liberal arts) in the Mortal Realms. The markets here sell some of the most powerful magical artifacts in Aqshy, but it is said the mage-traderes prefer payment in forbidden lore and dangerous favors.

*Steel Spike: A immense fortress designed to guard the only crossing (outside of the Kindling Forest) to the mainland, Steel Spike never fell during the Age of Chaos, mainly because its defenses were so good even the forces of Khorne weren't stupid enough to assault it. As such, the resulting influx of refugees has made it become a city in its own right.

*The Timestolen Empire: Time itself is broken in the lands conquered by Tzeentch. Warriors killing their past selves, crops growing from seed to plant to dead within a few days, and so on. Although going to such a chaotic place is a really stupid idea, you still get some idiots who come here seeking to gain knowledge from the past or future.

*The Bright Mountains: This mostly unexplored mountain range is home to the Scions of the Flame, the chaos fire-cultists from Warcry. On the bright side, its also home to a Fyreslayer lodge and several Dispossessed Karaks.

*The Disintegrated Shore: When the Agloraxi Empire ceded this land to the mages who would found Aspiria, they left behind a whole bunch of magical citadels containing various secrets. They never explained what these secrets were, because they were a bunch of assholes like that. The forces of Tzeentch prowl this place, interested in claiming the secrets of the Agloraxi Citadels for themselves, while the forces of Order seek to reclaim them, most notably Brightspear, a citadel that has been turned into one of the Cities of Sigmar.

===Bataar===
The other major nation to survive the Age of Chaos. A proud merchant people, the folk of Bataar are unusual in that they prefer the use of barter to direct currency (although they still accept coinage, they find it less sporting), and as such have grown adept at negotiating complex multi-party trades. While for a long time isolated to their floating city, when Sigmar's armies arrived they started spending the gold they had stockpiled for centuries to hire as many Fyreslayers as they could in order to reconquer their homeland.

*The Floating City: Originally a bunch of trading boats strapped together to form an impromptu bazaar. This amalgamation of ships grew until it was the size of a city, then the Aspirians enchanted it to fly as a gift to their allies. Governed by the Traders Guild, who determine their ranks through the "Game of Razored Gifts", where each member seeks to increase his status by giving the most extravagant gifts they can.

*Flamespider Woad: The forest home of the flamespiders. Most civillizations upon hearing the word "flamespider" would immediately decide to exterminate the species out of principle, but the Bataari were enterprising enough to build a mercantile empire off exporting their firesilk. Unfortunately, the forces of Nurgle have started taking up shop here, and diseased spiders are beginning to attack neighbouring villages. Taking obvious exception to this mercenary companies and hired adventurers have been dispatched to deal with the intruders.

*Lake of Dark Pacts: Local legend claims this place was named for two lovers who drowned themselves in a suicide pact when their love was denied. After the Necroquake this place has become haunted, with ghostly pleasure barges slaying visitors so they may "join in their revels". Its commonly rumored that this place is a Realmgate to Shyish, but nobody knows how to open it.

===Capilaria===
Formerly the home of skilled smith-tribes (most notably the Direbrands, the original tribe of [[Vandus Hammerhand]]), it is now the most war-torn region of all Aqshy, containing the headquarters of both Order and Chaos within the Great Parch.

*Hammerhal Aqsha: The twin-tailed city, half existing in Aqshy, half existing in Ghyran.

*Skulpile: A Khornate city that quite literally is a giant pile of skulls. The inhabitants have carved some of the larger ones into crude homes, and pilgrims come from all around to add their own trophies to the heap.

*The Eye: The giant portal to the realm of Khorne opened by Khorgos Khul that first introduced Chaos to Aqshy. Everyone in Order knows the only way to rid Chaos from the Great Parch is to close the Eye; too bad nobody knows how they're gonna do it. Nearby the portal are numerous large volcanoes, which make The Eye a holy site for the Firebelly ogor shamans.

*Everlyme Point: This place has its innocuous name due to originally existing as a lime-mining colony back in the Age of Myth. Now its a Khornate fortress.

*Vandium: A city named in honor of Vandus Hammerhand itself, containing a precious Realmgate to Azyr.

===The Eastern Parch===
Seperated from the main continent by the Adamantine Chain mountain range, the Eastern Parch is the most frontier region of the Great Parch (which is saying something, seeing as the entire continent is mostly frontier).

*Chakrik's Folly: The biggest Skaven undercity in the Great Parch. Chakrik was a warlock engineer who built devices that he claimed would protect the city from earthquakes, and who quickly died when all but one of them exploded. The sole remaining device isn't enough to prevent thousands of skavenslaves dying each time an earthquake happens, but the Skaven don't care so long as it exposes another vein of Warpstone.

*Hel Crown: Khornate fortress built into a volcano. A realmgate to the realm of Khorne exists in the mouth of the volcano, but has a bad habit of going out unexpectedly, leading to the unfortunates trying to enter plummeting to their firey deaths.

*The Reclaimed Demenses: These Order villages, geographically cut-off from the rest of the Cities of Sigmar, are in a daily struggle to survive. As such, the colonists here tend to be the hardiest and bravest of them all, typically native Aqshyian warriors who turned to farming.

*The Stain: This lake was the site of an epic battle between Stormcast and Khornates where so much blood was shed that the water was permanently stained red.

===Flamescar Plateau===

Formerly the domain of the powerful magocratic Agloraxi Empire. The setting of the Age of Sigmar expansion Firestorm, detailing the conflict between all four grand alliances over the control of their ultimate weapon, the Prismatikon. The tribes who live here are notoriously firey even by Aqshy standards, and many of them view Sigmar's folk as invaders no different than the forces of Chaos or Death. Also the home of the Caverns of Fulminax, an elemental used to fuel the Agloraxi's superweapons. Within these caverns lives a type of unique fire-loving Troggoth species; the Sulphurbreath Troggoths, who prey on the giant lizards native to the caverns.

*Edassa: African-esque nation with a heavy lion theme going on, to the point where they often worship Sigmar in the form of a man with a lion's head.

*Anvilguard: Coastal city perpetually shrouded in mist, which is actually a weedkiller sprayed into the air to prevent the jungle from overtaking it. The city is secretly ran by the Blackscale Coil, who are basically all the old Dark Elf factions from Warhammer Fantasy united with the purpose of dicking everyone else over. Nearly overran by a horde of undead dinosaurs until the Seraphon came, saved the city, and started their own colony there for their own inscrutable purposes.

*Anvalor: Legends say this city is cursed, for whenever the forces of order try to reclaim it they always get foiled, be it by Chaos, Skaven, greenskins or just natural disasters. Doesn't stop them from planning to try it one last time, because in addition to being on a major trading route it also has a good source of precious water.

===Golvaria===
Formerly a nation ruled by necromancers, until their crimes saw them invaded by Aspiria and banished to the Isle of Ghouls. With the coming of the Necroquake, it is now rumored that the necromancers are growing in power and planning to reconquer their old homelands.

*Hallowheart: Founded in a formerly Tzeentchian stronghold, Hallowheart is a city of wizards, with the local population being significantly more likely to have magical talent. The citizens aren't unaware that being built on an ex-Chaos stronghold isn't a good omen, and as such have become extremely superstitious and paranoid.

*Castle Drakesbane: The home of the Daemon Prince Lord Zaronak, also known as the Fist of the Everchosen. Charged by the Everchosen to stamp out all hope within the Great Parch, he mostly spends his time working on his schemes to destroy Hallowheart.

===Khul's Ravage===
The name of this land has long been forgotten, [[Khorgos Khul]] having wrecked it so bad that everyone has just named it after him instead. This was the first theatre of war the Stormcast Eternals were ever deployed to (more specifically the Brimstone Peninsula, where the original starter box for Age of Sigmar took place), and as such Order now has a decent grasp over this territory, even if the land is still too damaged to support proper agriculture.

*Tempest's Eye: Mountaintop city with a strong alliance with the Kharadron Overlords. The vast observatories of the city keep an eye on the rest of the realms (both through scrying the future with astrology and just spying on shit with giant telescopes), so the armies of Tempests Eye have a habit of miraculously intervening when they're most needed.

*Obsidian Fortress: Former Chaos fortress that was taken over by the Tempest Lords. Spends most of their time teaming up with the armies of Steel Spike to kill whatever Tzeentchian abomination crawls out of the Timestolen Empire.

*Horn of Ignax: Nobody knows what this bright... thing is. Some say its the literal severed horn of the solar drake Ignax, others that its just some naturally occuring gas vent. Whatever the case, it makes a convenient lighthouse for nearby sailors, as its so bright that on a good night even the Idoneth Deepkin can see it from the bottom of the ocean.

===Vitriola===
The tribes of Vitriola were once famous for two things; having the reddest hair in the realms, and being notoriously fickle mercenaries who switched sides at a moments notice. This did not endear them to the forces of Chaos, who punished such betrayal brutally, and now the remaining few tribes of Vitriola are weak and desperate, especially because their old reputation means they have few allies willing to help them reclaim their lands.

*Hag's Delta: This marshland has long been known to house the Daughters of Khaine. Although the Witch Aelves stationed here were recalled to defend Ulgu during the Age of Chaos, recently the Khailebron sect has returned to the Delta to embark on a campaign of guerilla warfare against the forces of Zaronax.

*Kindling Forests: Long ago, the Bright Wizards of Aspiria, seeing that their lands were about to become the target of a Waaagh!, decided to summon a whole bunch of fire spirits to start a perpetual wildfire that would stop anybody from invading them. This has pissed off Claggit's Smotherers, the local Gloomspite Gitz clan dwelling beneath, who have vowed to put out every fire in Aqshy.

[[Category: Age of Sigmar]]

Realm of Chaos

2023-06-08T11:56:21Z

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The '''Realm of Chaos''' is effectively The [[Warp]] in Warhammer Fantasy/Age of Sigmar, complete with the abandonment of real-world physics. Time? Gravity? A Chaos God craves not these things. It serves as the home of the four major Chaos Gods and their forces, as well as any mortals unfortunate enough to have found themselves there. It's described as a 'landscape,' but likely makes even '''less''' sense than the Mortal Realms do in terms of physical layout.

The Realm of Chaos is divided into domains ruled over by the Gods because Chaos might be unpredictable and messy, but it apparently likes to keep its own house in order. The Realm of Chaos itself can't be used as a playing field on the table top like the Mortal Realms, but places so corrupted by Chaos as to be indistinguishable from them are detailed in '''Time of War: The Blasted Wastes'''.

Realm of Chaos might also refer to the supplement books for WHFB, and now AoS with the soon-to-be released Realm of Chaos: Wrath and Rapture. It might also refer to the 1989 ''Bolt Thrower'' album that was produced with participation from GW themselves.

=The Books Themselves=
It should be known that the title '''Realms of Chaos''' was used not once, but three times, each equally as focused as the others on the machinations of Chaos and their champions.

==The Original Books==
'''Realms of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness''' and '''Realms of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned''' were the forefather tomes released during [[Warhammer Fantasy Battles]] 3E and when 40K was still known by [[Rogue Trader (Sourcebook)|Rogue Trader]] which codified all of Chaos and its interdimensional menace. While it did indeed contain rules to include both during organized play, the main draw of these books were the inclusion of its own independent wargame, one in which the various armies of Chaos clashed with each other again and again, with the victors gaining the gods' favor, here exemplified in a d100 table, as well as new mutations, exemplified in a staggering ''d1000'' table. Ultimately, the goal of all characters is to reach daemon princehood, but those who gain too many mutations and not enough favor in the eyes of the gods becomes [[Chaos Spawn|all gribbly and stuff]] while those who get a proper mixture of gifts and mutations ascends to the vaunted status of [[Daemon Prince]].

As with anything else this [[neckbeard]]y, there was a clusterfuck of rules to get around, which they explained via a flowchart.

==The 6E Release==
During the 2013 Advent release schedule, GeeDubs decided to release a small game known as ''Realms of Chaos: [[Path to Glory]]'', released in 40K 6E and (then brand-new) AoS with sequel releases the following year. You still had warbands to fight each other for the gifts of chaos, but now you weren't dealing with massive rolls to tell what happened to your dudes.

==Wrath and Rapture==
Scheduled to come out in 2019, ''Wrath and Rapture'' seems to be giving you a wargame between the daemons of [[Khorne]] and [[Slaanesh]]. So far, it's confirmed that they'll be bringing out new models for the [[Flesh Hound]]s led by Karanak alongside the [[bloodletter]]s and the [[Fiends of Slaanesh]], with [[daemonette]]s led by a new named herald named the Infernal Enrapturess, who uses a harp for he musical ministrations of doom. All in all, the game was forgettable, but it gave people to buy packs of daemon models before they were released as separate sets.

=The Warp in Age of Sigmar=
The [[Great Horned Rat|Great Horned Rat]] has moved in with an entire city of his friends and Slaanesh was ''sooooo'' yesterday, as the Prince's lot's mostly empty with everyone trying to find the lazy fucker. The Realm of Chaos is otherwise much the same as it was just prior to WHFB's The End Times, but fully located in the Warp as opposed to being a blighted hellscape on the material plain.

*'''Blight City:''' Home to everyone's favorite rat-men, and formerly [[Skavenblight|Skavenblight]]; it was relocated to the Realm of Chaos upon the Great Horned Rat's ascension, being dragged there by GHR himself. The city itself is a hodgepodge of factories, mines, highly dangerous machinery powered with volatile warpstone, and is just generally an unpleasant place to live. It is as much a danger to the Skaven as it is a shelter. Technically it still "is" Skavenblight but the GHR decided that it needed a face-lift after it was brought into the warp. Of course, having prime real estate in the immaterium wasn't enough for the rat men, so they dug too deep, and too greedily, and fucking sank half of their city back into reality. Rather than being the "Oh shit" moment it would be for almost any other race, the Skaven immediately used this disaster as an opportunity to gain access to basically anywhere they want. It should be noted that this "sinking back into reality" doesn't just automatically create realm gates to the other realms. Instead, the Skaven literally ''tunnel through the warp'', and are the only ones insane enough to then use said tunnels. A few hundred rat-men might be lost forever in the space between spaces, but what's a drop in the ocean, eh?

*'''Brass Citadel:''' Khorne's portion of the Realm of Chaos, decorated just like the teenager power-metal fantasy that you'd expect. His domain is described as an "unending battlefield of brass and blood," with rivers of boiling blood, raging volcanoes, bloodstained fields, blackened skies, bone piles, and bloodied corpses. Thinking about it, Khorne apparently was just ''really'' into Aqshy, and decided it just needed more of a "gore" motif. At the center of his domain, covered in spikes, blood, and visions from Todd McFarlane's trapper-keeper is Khorne's totally-not-compensating-for-anything Brass Citadel, so large that it could give Rogal Dorn a half-chub. Inside is all manner of forges, prisons, <s>secret shrines to MLP</s>, and of course his Skull Throne. Khorne doesn't just "let" his followers into this place, instead only allowing entrance to the defeated. Weakened due to banishment from the mortal realms, the defeated warriors of Khorne are made to crawl through a moat of boiling blood and disembodied screams. They then need to present to the Gatekeeper and speak their true name, and who bested them, before they're allowed to enter where (presumably) Khorne gives them a chain-axe spanking for being so thoroughly shit at daemon-ing.

*'''Crystal Labyrinth of Tzeentch:''' True to form, Tzeentch wasn't content with only having a portion of the Realm of Chaos as his domain, and also had the Halosphere as his power generator and doormat. This land was called the Thousand Portals, and was just one of the outer bastions of the Crystal Labyrinth of Tzeentch. That is, until the Seraphon came along and ruined things by settling there. The Labyrinth itself is a seemingly endless maze of glass towers, crystalline mountains, curtains of light, and lots of other shiny shit that isn't gold. Except it also has rivers of gold, in forests also made from crystal. It would be enough to completely mind-fuck your average mortal, with the landscape shifting depending on how the light touches it. In fact, everything about this place only works, or reveals its proper function, under specific and esoteric circumstances. [[Just as planned]]. Accessible from the Halosphere under the right stars alignment.

*'''Garden of Nurgle:''' Papa Nurgle's home away from Ghyran, the Garden of Nurgle is an overgrown park reserve for all the disgusting but cheerful things that he brews and creates. The air alone is so toxic that any living thing, except perhaps for Nurgle worshipers, will turn inside-out the moment they breathe it in - and they'd better pray/gurgle to Nurgle for it to end at that. In the book "Hallowed Knights: Plague Garden", it's described as being seven separate gardens, stacked upon one another, like an inverted version of the hanging gardens of the Lantic Empire. Papa Nurgle even has a fortress of his own called Nurgle's Manse. It's dilapidated, crumbling, and a blight on the eyes to look at, but that's just Nurgle being the humble fellow that he is. It's here that he jauntily sings and chuckles to himself while concocting diseases that strip the skin from your dick whenever you sneeze. Much like Nurgle himself, when Nurgle's power rises the boundaries of his realm swell and collapse. When this happens, all his fetid, nasty shit (probably literally) spills into the other Chaos Gods' realms to ruin their day.

*'''Varanspire:''' Archaon's giant middle finger to the Mortal Realms, the Varanspire is built on the literal doorstep of the eight other realms on the [[Allpoints|Allpoints]]. So confident is he in his ownership that he renamed them to the 'Eightpoints', because Chaos is nothing if not thematic. It's so massive that its walls encroach into the mortal realms, and can be seen with the naked eye from the other realms. This angers Khorne. The creatively named Varanguard, Archaon's personal minions, also make their pilgrimage to the Varanspire when they hear Archaon's call. Those who get an A+ in these tests earn a special spot <s>at the big kid's table</s> in one of Daddy Archaon's eight circles, and receive a horrific pet/horse blob/war mount thing.
** It also has its own unique mineral called Varanite, infused with the corrupting power of Chaos. This realmstone is so powerful that merely touching raw Varanite can mutate the curious victim into a horrifying abomination or, in [[Morathi]]'s case, transform a mortal into a full-blown deity.

=On the Tabletop=
While you can't fight in the actual Realm of Chaos, you can set the game in the Blasted Wastes. These are parts of the mortal realms where Chaos has taken hold and twisted the landscape, creating something not unlike the domains of the Chaos Gods. Presumably this is so Chaos players can also have a "home-ground" realm to use rules for, since playing in the "actual" Realm of Chaos would probably start with rolling a d6, and losing that many units to the eddies of the warp.

==Foundry of Rage==
Or is it the Foundry of Blood? The supplement description seems confused. Everything is on fire, the acrid smoke and loud noises hurting your wizards' delicate eyes and ears, making it harder to cast. Khorne loves this place, and his armies do too. Seriously, if you're playing against a Khorne army on this field then you may as well concede defeat before you even start.

===Blood, Brass, and Toil===
After rolling to see who goes first, the two turn rolls are added together and if they total 8 or more, Khorne starts the barbecue and the forges on the board alight. Any unit within 1" of a terrain feature suffers a mortal wound, and it gets worse from there as the match progresses. With every passing round, the proximity to take a mortal wound from a terrain feature doubles and your army becomes less effective at a distance. Unless you're playing a Khorne army, in which case you can ignore basically all of this while you pound your opponent into a fine paste. All of these effects are applied before modifiers, and last until the end of the battle:

*2nd Round: Units within 2" of a terrain feature suffer a mortal wound. Command abilities reduced to a max of 8".
*3rd Round: Units within 4" of a terrain feature suffer a mortal wound. Units can't shoot or cast spells at targets more than 8" away.
*4th Round: Units within 8" of a terrain feature suffer a mortal wound. Units can't shoot or cast spells at targets more than 4" away.

===Call to Chaos: Path to Glory===
Khorne warbands playing in the Foundry of Rage in "Path to Glory" campaigns gain one additional Favour Point if they claim a victory but lose D3 Favour if they lose. One would assume Khorne also screams at them until the flesh flies from their bones, but this isn't specified in the rules.

===Foundry of Rage Triumphs===
#'''Brazen Skull:''' Equipped to a '''HERO''' in your army, can be "used" by shattering it at the start of any of your Hero phases. Forces your opponent to cast with only one die until your next Hero phase. Weirdly, this isn't specified as a "once per battle" use item, and could theoretically be used all the time, forever, to irritate the hell out of Tzeentch players.
#'''Bloodforged Standard:''' Choose a unit standard, banner, or icon bearer, or a model with the keyword '''TOTEM'''. As long as that model is alive, re-roll saves of 1 for its unit.
#'''Phial of Forgefire:''' Choose a '''HERO''' in your army to carry this. It can be opened once per battle and inflicts D3 mortal wounds on an enemy unit within 8".
#'''Call of the Forge:''' Once per battle, after rolling for turn order, pick a terrain feture on the field. Every unit within 8" of it suffers a mortal wound.
#'''The Crimson Watch:''' Once per battle, at the start of your Hero phase, roll three dice. Up to that many Bloodletters can be added to your army as a unit. Must be setup within 8" of a '''HERO''', and not within 3" of an enemy unit.
#'''Mark of the Molten Brass:''' Applied to a General in your army. Each time the General piles in, roll a dice before attacking. On a 4+, each enemy unit within 3" suffers a mortal wound.

==Mount Hedon==
Slaanesh's Mortal Realms playground, completely awash with her/his/its perfume/cologne, which drives anyone that smells it insane. Except for Slaanesh units, which are so constantly dosed up on the stuff that they barely notice it anymore.

===Overwhelming Fragrance===
At the start of each battle round, after rolling for the turn order, players take turns marking units with six dice showing one to six on their face. Units can be marked more than once, each number can only be used once, and you stop once you've assigned all six. Once you've placed all six dice, roll a seventh; whichever unit's number matches the roll is affected by the mist. Roll two dice and add the unit's bravery, the resulting number determines what happens to the unit:

*'''8 or less - Ecstatic Catatonia:''' Remove the entire unit from the battlefield. Slaanesh units suffer D6 mortal wounds instead, because they like this sort of thing.
*'''9-11 - Sadistic Glee:''' Roll a dice for every model in the unit, on a 4+ the unit suffers a mortal wound. Slaanesh units only suffer mortal wounds on 6's.
*'''12-14 - Pavane of Slaanesh:''' Everyone does a little dance. For the rest of the round, the unit can't move, make attacks, cast, or use abilities. Battleshock tests for this unit are ignored. Any time the unit suffers a wound, or mortal wound, roll a die. on a 5+ (4+ for Slaanesh), the wound or mortal wound is ignored.
*'''15+ - Excess of Violence:''' The player whose turn it is rolls two dice and moves the unit that many inches toward the nearest enemy.

===Call to Chaos: Path to Glory===
Slaneesh warbands playing on Mount Hedon in '''Path to Glory''' campaigns gain one additional Favour Point if they claim a victory but lose D3 Favour if they lose.

===Mount Hedon Triumphs===
#'''Hedonic Flacon:''' Choose a '''HERO''' to carry this. Once per battle in your Hero phase, roll two dice for each enemy unit within 6" of that model. If the result is higher than a unit's bravery, it suffers D3 mortal wounds.
#'''Obfuscatrix:''' One use only ability. Choose a '''HERO''' to carry this. Pick an enemy unit within 12" at the start of your Hero phase and roll two dice. If the combined result is higher than the unit's Bravery, it will immediately attack the nearest friendly unit to itself, either with all of its missile weapons or all its melee weapons (the unit doesn't pile in.) Your opponent still rolls all dice, however, you get to choose who it attacks - and individual models can be targeted. A unit cannot attack itself, only other units.
#'''The Blissful Host:''' Once per battle, at the beginning of your Hero phase, roll three dice. Add a unit of Daemonettes with that many models to your army. Must be setup within 6" of a "HERO" model, and not within 3" of an enemy model.
#'''Witstealer:''' Choose a '''HERO''' to carry this. At the end of the Combat phase, roll a dice for each enemy "HERO" that was wounded but not slain by the model carrying '''Witstealer'''. On a 4+ the enemy "HERO" suffers a mortal wound.
#'''Enrapturing Gaze:''' Choose a '''HERO''' to have this ability. At the start of each Combat phase, pick an enemy unit within 6" of the model with Enrapturing Gaze and roll two dice. If the result is higher than their Bravery, that unit can't pile in or make attacks this phase.
#'''The Silken Standard:''' Choose a unit standard, banner, icon bearer, or a model with the keyword '''TOTEM''' to carry the Silken Standard. If your opponent takes the first turn in a battle round, the unit can destroy the standard before your opponent's turn starts. Doing this grants the unit a free turn - Hero phase, Movement, Shooting, etc. - before your opponent starts theirs. In the combat phase, only the empowered unit can attack. The unit still acts as normal during the rest of your turn.

==Putrefax Sump==
Nurgle's sandpit, if "sand" in this context was a bubbling pit of disease and an oppressive miasma clung in the air. Very cosey. Nurgle units will have a pretty good time of things, basically everything else will rot away within rounds. Or maybe they'll come back from the dead. Papa Nurgle can be generous, after all.

===Seething and Multiplying===
After rolling for turn order in a battle round, add the results of the two dice together:

*'''2-3 - Living Whirpool:''' Until the next round, roll a die each time a unit moves, runs or charges. On a 1, the unit suffers D3 mortal wounds. Doesn't affect '''NURGLE''' units, units that are entirely within 1" of a terrain feature, or units that can fly.
*'''4-6 - Horrific Writhing:''' Roll a die for each unit that is not entirely within 1" of a terrain feature, and which cannot fly. If the result is equal to, or more than the unit's save, it suffers D3 mortal wounds. '''NURGLE''' units only suffer a single mortal wound.
*'''7 - The Great Hatching:''' Roll a die for each wounded model on the battlefield, on a 1, 2, or 3, their unit suffers D3 mortal wounds. Heals D3 wounds if the unit is '''NURGLE'''.
*'''8-10 - Volatile Expulsion:''' Roll seven (yes, ''Seven'') and add the results together. Each unit that is within that many inches of the center of the battlefield suffers D3 mortal wounds.
*'''11-12 - Grandfather's Bloom:''' Both players roll off, the winner selecting any unit on the Battlefield. That unit is immediately removed and set back up anywhere on the battlefield that's more than 7" from enemy models. Once the unit's been setup, roll a die (add 1 if it's a '''NURGLE''' unit). On a 1-4, the unit suffers D6 mortal wounds. On a 5-7, the unit is restored to irs starting strength (wounds healed, slain models returned.)

===Call to Chaos: Path to Glory===
Nurgle warbands playing in Putrefax Sump in Path to Glory campaigns gain one additional Favour Point if they claim a victory but lose D3 Favour if they lose. Papa Nurgle doesn't love them any less, however - he's not angry, just disappointed.

===Putrefax Sump Triumphs===
#'''Sump Gas:''' Choose a '''MONSTER''' to be fed Sump Gas for the next battle. When that monster is slain, it erupts with a radius in inches equal to the model's wounds (e.g. 12 wounds = 12".)
#'''Poxfly Bite:''' Choose a '''HERO''' to bear this. Ignores wounds and mortal wounds on a 5+.
#'''The Sons of Putrefax:''' Once per battle, at the start of your Hero phase, roll three dice. Combine the results and add a unit of that many Plaguebearers to your army. Setup within 7" of a '''HERO''', and not within 3" of enemy models.
#'''Death's-head Pods:''' Choose a unit to carry the pods. Once per battle, they can be used as a missile weapon in your shooting phase. Each model in the unit gains 1 missile attack with 14" range, hitting on 5+. Each successful hit deals a mortal wound.
#'''Rancid Oilskin:''' Choose a '''HERO''' in your army to carry this. Once per battle during your shooting phase, select a visible unit within 7" and roll a die for each model in the unit. The unit suffers a mortal wound on every roll of 6.
#'''Coronet of Filth:''' Choose a '''HERO''' to carry this. Once per battle during your hero phase, pick an enemy unit within 14" and roll a die for each model in the unit. Each result that equals or exceeds the unit's Save deals a mortal wound.

==Crystalline Shores==
Do you like spells? Do you like spells that cast more spells, which in turn ''give you more spells!?'' Then you're probably a Tzeentch player - you'll fit right in here.

===Sparkling Shards===
Like a playground without a sharps disposal, the Crystalline Shores are covered with sharp shit that you'll catch Chaos from. If you roll a double when casting, you can roll a third dice and add the result to the total. If the third dice makes the total 15 or more, the Wizard deals D3 mortal wounds to each enemy unit within 18".

===Firetide===
After rolling for turn order, add the results together. If the total is exactly 3, 6 or 9, the Firetide rolls in:

*'''3 - Tide of Pinkfire:''' Each unit on the battlefield that cannot fly suffers D3 mortal wounds. '''TZEENTCH''' units only suffer a single mortal wound.
*'''6 - Tide of Bluefire:''' The player taking the second turn in this round picks an edge of the battlefield and rolls a dice. on a 1, the tide comes in from that edge. On a 2 or 3, the tide comes in from the edge to the left, on a 4 or 5, it comes in from the edge to the right. On a 6, it comes in from the opposite edge. Any unit that cannot fly within 18" of the affected edge suffers D3 mortal wounds.
*'''9 - Tide of Change:''' Roll a dice for each unit on the field. On a 5+, return D3 slain models to the unit. Return D6 models for '''TZEENTCH''' units.

===Call to Chaos: Path to Glory===
Tzeentch warbands playing on the Crystalline Shores in Path to Glory campaigns gain one additional Favour Point if they claim a victory but lose D3 Favour if they lose. Either occurrence is Just As Planned.

===Crystalline Shores Triumphs===
#'''Globe of Swirling Flame:''' Choose a '''HERO''' to carry this. Once per battle, during the shooting phase, can be thrown at a visible enemy unit within 9". Roll nine dice, dealing a mortal wound to the unit on each result of a 6.
#'''The Flickering Boatmen:''' Once per battle, at the start of your hero phase, roll three dice. Combine the result and add a unit of that many Horrors to your army. Setup with 9" of a '''HERO''' and not within 3" of an enemy model.
#'''Arcanovore:''' Choose a '''WIZARD''' to be followed into the next battle by the Arcanavore. Once during the battle, immediately after another '''WIZARD''' within 18" successfully casts a spell, your '''WIZARD''' can immediately cast the same spell. No casting roll required, cannot be unbound.
#'''Sigil of Flight:''' Choose a unit standard, banner or icon bearer, or a model with the keyword '''TOTEM'''. As long as that model is alive, its unit's move characteristic is 12 and can fly.
#'''Gift of Sorcery:''' Choose a '''HERO''', it becomes a '''WIZARD''' for the duration of this battle. Can cast up to one spell in each of your Hero phases but cannot unbind spells. They know Arcane Bolt and Mystic Shield. If all your heroes are already '''WIZARDS''', re-roll this result.
#'''Enchantment of Animation:''' Choose a unit in your army. Once during the battle in your shooting phase, pick one of the unit's melee weapons (weapon type, not single model). They can immediately attack with it as though it were a missile weapon with 18" range.

=[[Total War: WARHAMMER]]=
So, remember how the Realm of Chaos in WFB can't be entered by any mortal at least without turning into a [[Daemon]] ([[Oxyotl|these guys]] [[Araloth|don't count]])? Well, not anymore, thanks to a Kislevite Prince's stupidity. While [[Be'lakor]] is torturing [[Ursun]], the Kislevite Prince enters the Realm of Chaos to try and free him, only to be corrupted by Chaos to the point he shoots the God-Bear in the heart when he finds him. Ursun roars in pain (though he doesn't die from this) and by that he weakens the border between Materium and Immaterium. In-game, this is represented by some sort of small Chaos Gates spawning every 30 turns or so. They can be closed (but you have to fight a small Daemon army after that), they can be traversed (you essentially get the ability to teleport to any other Gate and fast-travel with these), and they can lead to the Chaos Realms.

Each realm is somewhat unique in its abilities to fuck you over. Khorne's Domain forces you to battle with every other faction in there, Nurgle's one actively poisons and weakens your army, Tzeentch's lands have teleports [[Troll|that can lead you to an another random teleport in an annoying pattern]]. But by far Slaaneshite Circles of Seduction is the most interesting realm, as the Prince of Pleasure themself will offer you giant campaign buffs if you leave his domain everytime you get to another circle.

[[Wat|And yeah, any army can enter those Gates]]. That means that you can stumble across some [[Orcs & Goblins]] in Khorne's realm, or meet [[Kairos Fateweaver|two-headed turkey]] in his god's archenemy's garden.
{{AoS-Realms}}

Ogroid

2023-06-08T11:54:43Z

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[[File:Ogroid Myrmidon.jpg|300px|right]]
Ogroids, known to themselves as Goroans, are a Chaos-affiliated race introduced in [[Age of Sigmar]]. As you can tell from their name, they're vaguely like ogres, except significantly more furry and closer to a stereotypical pop-culture devil, big horns, hooves and all.

Formerly part of the Grand Alliance of Destruction, the Ogroids viewed allying with the hordes of Gorkamorka-allied races as a way to protect their own city-state. When Bonesplitterz Orruks realized they were basically just using the Destruction faction to build up their own Order-esque city with Greenskins and Ogors as disposable troops, the Bonesplitterz launched an assault on their city to humble them. This enraged the Ogroids, who rose up in rebellion against Gorkamorka. When they inevitably got their asses kicked for trying to fight the most spiritually in-tune subfaction to one of the strongest gods out there, they turned to Chaos to aid them. Their begging for aid offended Gorkamorka even more, and he lead his followers on a genocidal campaign that ensured that only those Ogroids who fled to the most chaos corrupted wastelands survived. What remained of the Goroans were enticed by Archaon with promises of a new home, secure against all invaders – the land that would become the Eightpoints. There, under the shadow of the Varanspire, the ogroids raise dark citadels, forge mighty weapons, and serve as overseers in the armies of Chaos.

Despite their savage appearance, Ogroids are actually very intelligent creatures who can become highly skilled warriors or studious wizards. However, despite their pretensions of sophistication, if they get wounded in battle they [[Butthurt|fly into a berserk rage]] that shows their true bestial nature.

==Ogroid Thaumaturges==
The first Ogroid model released, Ogroid Thaumaturges are sorcerers dedicated to [[Tzeentch]], and the combination of [[Muscle Wizard|arcane prowess and brute physical strength]] makes them a force to be reckoned with. They are said to know more of the secrets of wyrdflame than all but the most accomplished spellcasters, making them particularly favoured by the pyromaniacs of the Pyrofane Cult. Some Thaumaturges lead their own covens of [[Tzaangor|Tzaangors]], while others act as bodyguards for the Gaunt Summoners.

==Ogroid Myrmidons==
The masters of the fighting pits of the Eightpoints, the Ogroid Myrmidons wield spear and shield, and carve magic runes onto their flesh to further enhance their fighting prowess. The various warbands of the Eightpoints are eager to fight under the gaze of a Myrmidon, and many congregate to their side in battle in order to impress them.

==Ogroid Theridons==
A new Ogroid troops unit revealed by leaks, and then later confirmed and revealed and full.
Seem to be actual Shock Troop of the Ogroids, whereas Myrmidons are Gladiators for the amusement of Archaon. They each get a choice between a shield and sword, and a fuckoff huge halberd, both leading them equally well to their role as the heavy linebreaker infantry of the Chaos forces, which they naturally fit, being fucking huge and comically swole cow-devil-people.

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category:Chaos]]
[[Category:Slaves to Darkness]]
[[Category:Disciples of Tzeentch]]

Mindstealer Sphiranx

2023-06-08T11:54:23Z

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[[File:WCMS.png|300px|right]]
Mindstealer Sphiranxes are powerful and sinister telepaths. These cruel-hearted beasts enjoy nothing more than toying with their prey, plundering their innermost secrets before summarily ripping them to shreds with sharpened claws.

You can add a sinister Mindstealer Sphiranx to your Chaos warbands in Warcry – provided you’re bold enough to try and tame one! Thanks to the included fighter and abilities cards, adding the Mindstealer Sphiranx to your battles is simple.

This model can also be added to a Slaves to Darkness army for Warhammer Age of Sigmar army, where it’s a valuable support choice capable of shutting down key enemies and forcing them to fight last. A choice of head and horn assembly options even gives you some choice when building this hypnotic horror!

[[Category: Chaos]] [[Category: Age of Sigmar]]

King Brodd

2023-06-08T11:54:04Z

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[[File:King Brodd.webp|thumb|"By the power vested in me by this 'ere hamma, I'm going to turn you into a slick of red paste!"]]
'''King Brodd''' is a named character for the [[Sons of Behemat]] faction in [[Age of Sigmar]]. He is the de facto leader of the Gargant race, a title he earned through sheer belligerence and infectious reverence for the Gargants’ progenitor Behemat. Brodd made his first appearance way back in the dark ages of AoS 1st edition. In the “Godbeast” campaign supplement, he was a regular Gargant leading a battalion of other Gargants named (what else?) the Sons of Behemat. Now in 3rd edition he’s a fully fledged character with his own big stompy model and faction to lead into battle for the Mortal Realms.

==Fluff==
King Brodd claims to have crawled out of the Titansmawr during the Age of Chaos fully grown and declared himself leader of the Gargants native to the Scabrous Sprawl. After cementing his rule by pulverizing all challengers, he has made a pilgrimage to the ruins of Tor Crania (Behemat’s buried skull), to reclaim it from the vile Cygors and other [[Beasts of Chaos]], returning with a big chunk of masonry he’d claim as his right to lead the Gargants.

During the Realmgate Wars, Brodd aligned himself with the Stormcast Eternals, seeing as how they were also fighting the forces of chaos and trying to prevent them from corrupting Behemat. The Gargant King would later witness the death of his forefather at the hands of Sigmar’s champions, even losing an eye as to the blinding light of the Great Bolts. Brodd was silently mournful of Behemat’s passing, eventually coming to the conclusion that this as an inexcusable act of betrayal from the jealous Sigmar. He vanished for ten decades, growing stronger and bigger, eventually making his presence known once more by sacking the town of Titansrest, built in the hollowed out rib cage of Behemat.

There King Brodd stayed in the spot where Behemat’s heart should have been in solemn memorial for two days, before finally leaving to continue his holy quest to avenge the Godbeast’s death. In his most recent action, King Brodd and a stomp of over a hundred gargants met with [[Gordrakk]] when the latter was able to secure the Mawgate to the Eighpoints and demanded to be allowed passage so he may batter his way to the Azyrite gate and flatten Sigmar. Gordrakk, displaying a bit of Morkish kunnin’, proposed an alternate strategy to the King; the Great Waaagh! will smash their way into the Eightpoints and the Sons of Behemat will head to Ghyran to stamp out the resurgent settlers who seek to colonize the realms. This would split Sigmar’s forces between trying to stop Gordrakk’s horde and defending the Everspring Swathe from King Brodd and his stomp. King Brodd agrees to this arrangement and makes way to his homeland. Second to his loathing of the Hammer God is his animosity to Chaos Gargants, those traitorous behemoths who forsake Behemat’s power for the warping mutations of some spiky pipsqueak’s gods. He and his Stomp often go out of their way to put down any of the ruinous giants they see.

As a departure from the usual depiction of giants (angry drunken brutes), King Brodd is a deeply spiritual and grief-stricken warrior. He ruled the Gargants as a steward, waiting for the day Behemat would return and was utterly devastated when he was slain. When camping with other Gargants, he tells stories about their godbeast forefather with the same gravitas and emotion of a preacher, filling them with pride and vigor. The “Last True Son of Behemat” is fiercely independent, even refusing to bow to [[Kragnos]]’ will when the Drogrukh escaped his magical prison. He deems Behemat to be the only lord Gargants should revere and considers Kragnos a false idol. In keeping with the foot fixation in Gargant culture, he also cites Kragnos' having hooves instead of feet as another strike against him.

King Brodd never goes anywhere without two things; a crown made from the skull of the mouldragon Morgathis he killed bare-handed, and the Obelisk of Tor Crania, a Warhammer he crafted after slaying beasts that infested Behemat’s sleeping scalp. Given his now advanced age, this hammer also doubles as a walking stick when the King feels his old bones giving out. Like most other Gargants, his body is an oft transport for Creepers. In particular he has a favored “advisor” named Zeg the Creeper King. It’s unclear what sorta advice Zeg offers to Brodd, but they do share a loathing of Sigmar after Zeg watching a Stormcast Eternal accidentally crush a pear he was gonna eat.

==Crunch==
King Brodd is a center piece model for an entire faction of centerpieces. Costing a whopping 580 pts (only being beaten by Kragnos, but don’t tell Brodd that!), he’s essentially a super powered Mega-Gargant with 5 extra wounds, a weapon that deals 5 damage with each hit, and a defensive aura that stops enemy Monstrous Rampages. His defining ability though is “Power of Behemat”, three one-use prayers that activate on a 3 (+1 if Brodd kills a Monster the same turn). You can either make your army move faster, heal D3 wounds to all your units, or improve Rend by 1 to all clubs/flails (including Brodd’s). That healing one may not sound as useful as the others, but considering how one wound may change your position on the damage tables, it’s worth considering.

==Trivia==
*In 1st edition, King Brodd was depicted with a regular Aleguzzler/Chaos Gargant wearing a skull clipped from one of the spare giant clubs, and carrying a literal stone column in both hands. Said column appears to be sourced from the Middle Earth: Mines of Moria Set.
**Speaking of 1st edition, Brodd initially died in his first appearance after being caught in a massive explosion during the Battle of Behemat. It was left vauge enough though to confirm his survival in the 2nd edition Sons of Behemat battletome.

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Korghos Khul

2023-06-08T11:53:38Z

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[[File:Korghos Khul.jpeg|thumb|right|What a cute little Flesh Hound. I will name him <s>George</s> Gristlemaw and I will hug him, and pet him, and feed him at least three innocents every day!]]

Korghos Khul is a [[Mighty Lord of Khorne]]. He was prominently featured in the Realmgate Wars as an antagonist, and hasn't really been brought up much since, apart from a Black Library novel about his origins.

==History==
He was apart of the Khul tribe in Aqshy back in the Age of Myth, and he was called Athol Khul. Apparently, they were refugees from the World-That-Was, which might indicate that they were descendants of the Kul Kurgan. Anyway, this tribe did its usual Conan shtick until an unfortunate chain of events happened that caused him to pledge himself to Khorne. These events were caused by Khorne, who also subtly stoked the anger of Khul's tribe over time, showing that Khorne is capable of Tzeentch levels of planning, he just prefers honest bloodshed. It helped that the people of Aqshy were passionate and didn't shy away from a fight.

He then initiated a culling of his tribe, forging the strongest survivors into a Warband called the [[Goretide]]. At some point he found a Flesh Hound, called it Gristlemaw and made it his pet. From there, Khul promptly went on to [[Slaanesh|skullfuck]] a vast amount of Aqshy. He even made a literal pyramid of skulls. It was during this time that Khul first encountered the Stormcast, and while they'd been smashing in Chaos face unchecked, Khul managed to deal them their first defeat, besting Vandus Hammerhand in a fight but failing to kill him. Later, when Khul was literally one skull away from daemonhood, the stormies came and spoiled his fun again, foiling his plans to ascend to a Daemon Prince.

{{AoS-Champions}}
[[Category: Blades of Khorne]]

Kritza

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{{stub}}

'''Kritza, the Rat Prince''' is a [[Vampire]] from the [[Warhammer: Age of Sigmar]] setting. One of the special characters of the [[Soulblight Gravelords]], Kritza belongs to the [[therianthrope]]-adjacent Vrykos bloodline... unfortunately for him, whereas the other Vrykos vampires got to be not![[werewolf|werewolves]], he got stuck with the powers of a not![[wererat]]. In particular, he has the ability to transform into the form of a swarm of rats and back again, which he likes to use to escape from danger and backstab his victims. Perhaps out of a desperate attempt to hide this, he slathers himself in perfume... unfortunately, he cakes himself in so much of the stuff that even [[Nurgle]] [[Daemon]]s think that he stinks. He is normally found skulking around in the sewers of Ulfenkarn.

{{Template:Soulblight Gravelords Characters}}

Mannslieb

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[[File:Geheimnisnacht.png|thumb|right|400px|The two moons. Guess which one is evil.]]

The primary (and natural) moon of [[Warhammer Fantasy]]. Meaning "Beloved of Manann" in Old Reikspiel in reference to the human god of the sea, [[Mathlann|Manann]], due to the effect it has on tides. The [[Lizardmen]] refer to it as the '''Silvered One'''. It's presumably a fairly normal sphere of rock and regolith.
It is associated with many different gods, primarily among them being the [[High Elf]] god [[Lileath]]. [[Cathay|Cathayans]] call it '''Yuejin''' and that its fullness is a sign of the Moon Empress' displeasure. [[Nehekhara]] referred to it as the moon goddess '''[[Warhammer Fantasy Gods#Nehekhara|Neru]]''', who is in challenged by [[Morrslieb|Sakhmet]]. When its unnatural twin, [[Morrslieb]] eclipses it, you're in for one wild night. More specifically [[Geheimnisnacht]] and [[Hexensnacht]], Halloween and New Years Eve respectfully.

==End Times==
Mannslieb miraculously survived the [[End Times]] completely unharmed. Though, to be fair, after the destruction of the World that Was into space debris, Mannslieb is basically just a big rock floating into space, probably getting pummeled by all the remains of the old world.

==[[Age Of Sigmar]]==
When Dracothion recreated the World-That-Was as the Realm of Azyr, Sigmar built his capital city, Sigmaron, on top of Mannslieb. He built on top of his personal palace spire, Sigmarion, an artificial star he called "Sigendil". It also looks like a massive lamppost from afar, which is hilarious.

[[File:Sigmaron.png|thumb|right|400px|Sigmar's personal lamppost is pretty damn easy to notice.]]

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

Lord Executioner

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[[File:99070207008 LiekoronExecutioner01.webp|thumb|''Tick-tock, tick-tock...'']]

'''Lord Executioners''' are large and imposing members of the [[Nighthaunt]] processions, wielding massive axes and possessing a malefic glare that can fix their targets in place with despair, doom, and other such feelings you get [[FATAL|when your about to be cleaved from crown to taint by a ghost]]. In life Lord Executioners were well, [[Derp|executioners]] who get off to making heads roll or making necks snap a little too much, especially of those who they knew were truly innocent.

In death they serve as Champion killers, hunting down fools who personally pissed off [[Nagash|Calcium Ceasar]] and dispensing his "justice" accordingly. They are surrounded by the spirits of those they killed unjustly, tormenting it while simultaneously protecting it from harm, [[Derp|because they wish to prolong it's suffering.]] This is odd, because as ghosts if the object of their obsession is destroyed, it's quite possible they could be freed from Nagash's grip and move on, but since Nagash owns Shyish [[Grimdark|he owns them forever anyway, and can use them in any way he deems fit.]]

Most Lord Executioners wield an axe, but others carry large posts with nooses tied to them, how they get enemy units into the noose is anyone's guess but it can be assumed the noose itself is possessed by a ghost.

{{Nighthaunt-Units}}

[[Category: Age of Sigmar]] [[Category: Nighthaunt]]

Grand Alliance: Order

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[[File:Sigmar-city.jpg|450px|thumb|right|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW8Caqo482Q In the memory of those before us, for those who are with us, to those who will come after us.]]]
{{Topquote|If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilization, then be prepared to accept barbarism.|Thomas Sowell}}

Aligned as one, the civilised races of the Realms go forth to claim the lands and restore Order, Sigmar's <s>Sigmarines</s> Stormcast Eternals leading the fray.

==Armies of the Aelves==
Look! It's the <s>Elves</s> Aelves! As fancy and effeminate as ever, and now split into <s>11</s> 12 (!) different factions.

'''Darkling Covens''' - Aelven sorceresses (and occasional sorcerer) that didn't agree with the rules of the Eldritch Council and went to do their own thing. They have enthralled whole armies of mostly aelven followers which they use to push their coven's agendas. They have male sorcerers now.

'''[[Daughters of Khaine]]''' - The followers of [[Morathi]] who worship Khaine. As crazy as ever. They're part sadistic [[Witch Elf|Witch Aelf]], part crazy Snake Ladies and part crazy bat-winged ladies.

'''[[Eldritch Council]]''' - Groups of sorcerers and their followers that have established enclaves throughout the Free Cities. Still some of the best magic users around.

'''[[Lion Rangers]]''' - Warrior mystics that roam the land with their lion companions offering aid to those they can. Currently fighting alongside the armies of Order.

'''[[Order Draconis]]''' - A proud knight order, few fled to [[Azyr]] during the Age of Chaos because they held their ground and defended their holds like men and survived.

'''[[Order Serpentis]]''' - The shadow of the Order Draconis, they're merciless but still proud. They had whole dragon units, but because there are few left they (re-)created the War Hydras and Drakespawn with the help of the Darkling Covens to fill the gap. They have a thing going with the Covens and help each other from time to time.

'''[[Phoenix Temple]]''' - A warrior order that worships the Ur-Phoenix (which is implied to be a God-beast in the Mortal Realms). Their warriors appear to have sworn oaths of silence and are inducted into the order after almost dying through ice and fire before being revived by a phoenix of the temple.

'''[[Scourge Privateers]]''' - Apparently now monster hunters. They go around capturing fantastical beasts and selling them (either whole to be tamed and trained or in bits and pieces) to different organizations for some coin.

'''[[Shadowblades]]''' - AoS' [[Night Lords]]. They usually stalk the shadows of the cities of Order watching for who be in cahoots with Chaos or Nagash and gruesomely murder them and put their bodies (or what's left of them) on public display as a warning. But they're good guys.

'''[[Swifthawk Agents]]''' - The messengers and scouts for the armies of Order. They also maintained waytowers throughout the Realms that still stand today and serve as bastions.

'''[[Wanderers]]''' - What's left of the Wood Elves. Apparently, the trees don't like them so much anymore ever since they got on Alarielle's bad side by fleeing instead of helping her fight.

'''[[Idoneth Deepkin]]''' - Literally sea elves reborn! Teclis' botched attempt to recreate the elves; their souls are atrophied, so they need to take the souls of order beings to keep themselves alive.

==Armies of the Duardin==
The <s>Dwarfs</s> Duardin are back, and are as grumpy and beardy as ever.

'''[[Dispossessed]]''' - Classic, "proper" dorfs. Still holding grudges and generally being grumpy. Some of their heavier units have migrated into the Ironweld Arsenal list.

'''[[Fyreslayers]]''' - Expanding on the [[Slayer|Slayers]], here's a whole faction of them (and no, they don't slay fire, incorrectly spelled or otherwise). Ride atop giant salamanders and possess very little in the way of clothing. Obsessed with Ur-Gold, which is said to be composed of Grimnir's remains. For old Slayers, there's the Unforged.

'''[[Kharadron Overlords]]''' - Steampunk dorfs that lead a meritocratic society. They have airships, guns, blimp-jetpacks, and they... okay, they're [[Squats]], guys. They're basically steampunk Squats with an interest in technology and profit.

==Armies of Man==
Now relegated to "silly normals" status, mankind are now the Imperial Guard to the Stormcast's Space Marines.

'''[[Collegiate Arcane]]''' - Assorted wizards and magical scenery. You can now play a full army of dress-wearing spellslingers! Rejoice! The main faculty is located in [[Azyr]] and lesser facilities are present in the Free cities.

'''[[Devoted of Sigma]]r'''- A little bit out of place in this new, [[Noblebright]] world inhabited by giant immortal armoured warriors who eat Chaos and shit out redemption. The Devoted are the classic raggedy zealots led by warrior priests and witch hunters. Their job is to go in after the Stormcast have taken a new area and cleanse it of Chaotic taint and other malign influences before the new settlers show up, and then keep an eye out for corruption afterward. What, those other names engraved on the War Altar next to Sigmar's? I don't know who you're talking about. What's an Ulric? Also one of the model lines updated indirectly by AoS in the form of the Excelsior Warpriest.

'''[[Free Peoples]]''' - What remains of the Empire list. It turns out that thousands of years later, in a totally different place in time and space, men and women still dress in exactly the same silly feathered hats and pantaloons. The Free Peoples are the various poeple that fled to Azyr in the Age of Chaos and the original inhabitants of Azyr who are now recolonizing the realms. Since the freeguilds haven't really been updated yet the models still have Empire heraldry and symbols up the wazoo, meaning that Freeguild General that has "Karl Franz" emblazoned across his griffon's armour? Total coincidence... and while we're at it, what the fuck's a Reikland?

==Seraphon==
The [[Lizardmen|lizards]] are back, but they are now demon space lizards, apparently. Very blue, very angry at Chaos, and with a new plan to stop the Dark Gods for good, they appear from nowhere to mulch the gribblies at every opportunity. Due to some kind of racial memory, the [[Skaven]] are absolutely terrified of them. The [[Bonesplitterz]] are just pissed off that their monsters disappear before they can eat them.

==Stormcast Eternals==
Games Workshop's new golden boys. [[Space Marines]] weep, for in their heart they know they will never be a Stormcast Eternal. They are lead by the Lord-Celestant, their [[Spiritual Liege]], who takes [[Ghal-Maraz]] out for a spin like he's borrowing the keys to his dad's Ford Fiesta. Notably, he hasn't been named as of yet, so rumour abound as to [[Karl Franz|who]] [[Vlad von Carstein|he]] might be.

'''[[Stormcast Eternals]]''' - It's the Sigmarines! The new poster boys of the setting, and likely the result of several GW board meetings trying to tap into the "male power fantasy" - but then the Sacrosanct Chamber came out with many female 'Casts, so maybe just "power fantasy" - either way, [[Just As Planned|seemed as though it worked]]. They are essentially the Fantasy answer to 40k's Space Marines, being nigh-immortal demigods who are viewed with mixed awe and fear by both allies and enemies. Unlike Space Marines (barring one or two examples), they basically can't die under normal circumstance. Upon death, they are warped back to Sigmar's side, <s>smacked about with a hammer</s> reforged, then sent back. [[Nagash]] doesn't like this, and takes whatever bits of their soul he can grab on their way out, making them come back more and more like [[Thousand Sons|automatons]]. And now that he figured out how to claim whole soul...

'''Extremis Chamber''' - It's the Sigmarines, but to the extreme! Totally radical! No, it's The Stormcast Eternals, but on Dracoths and Stardrakes. This faction was later folded into the Stormcast Eternals book proper after the Battletome update, but in-universe is regarded as a somewhat seperate warrior brotherhood who specializes in communing with the many drakes that live in Azyr.

'''Vanguard Chamber''' - [[Space Marine Scouts|It's the Eternal's scout regiment]]; but they're not the snot-nosed greenhorns of the Eternals. No siree, this is the [[Catachan]] type of scout regiment (so... [[reiver]]s?), the type that rips their enemies open and perferates them with automatic crossbow fire. Particularly know for being the Chamber that Neave Blacktalon comes from, a golden demi-human blender with two axes that'd make an [[Eversor]] blush.

'''Sacrosanct Chamber''' - The Eternals that put on a robe and wizard hat instead of picking up lightning hammers. No scratch that, they do that too, only in badass robes. They were originally a civilian Chamber tasked with overseeing the machinery of the Stormcast Chambers, as well as the reforging process that allows them to return to life. With [[Nagash|skelepope]] rising from his cozy grave alongside about several billion angry, spoopy ghosts, [[Sigmar]] determined that maybe the soul-forgers would be good at putting souls to rest as well.

==[[Sylvaneth]]==
The Tree People from the Wood Elves, who they now hate due to momma [[Alarielle]] saying that they shouldn't play with those nasty meatbags who pussied out during the Age of Chaos. Mainly found in [[Ghyran]], but appear in all the Realms.

==Others==

'''Ironweld Arsenal''' - A bunch of Human and Duardin engineers came together and compared notes. Cannons and general siege machines. Seems to be intended for use as an ally for artillery support, but does also have things like gyrocopters included too.

'''Bretonnia (Warscrolls Compendium: Bretonnia[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Compendiums/warhammer-aos-bretonnia-en.pdf])''' - Not a faction in the fluff, as its models are now discontinued and they've gone the way of the dodo. Still have rules on the GW website, meaning you can use them to have your own flavours of knightly orders and stinking peasantry.

==Pantheon==
'''[[Sigmar]]''' - The God King of mankind, and creator of the [[Stormcast Eternals]]. He is spearheading the crusade to take back the realms from the grip of the baddies.

'''[[Grungni]]''' - Crafts weapons and armour for the Stormcast Eternals as repayment for his debt to Sigmar (and because he wants to defeat Chaos, of course).

'''[[Grimnir]]''' - Blown up into Ur-Gold pieces fighting Vulcatrix, is currently being very slowly reassembled by his followers the [[Fyreslayers]].

'''[[Everqueen#Age_of_Sigmar|Alarielle]]''' - A bit unhinged after Nurgle's incessant attacks on Ghyran. Was slain in one of her wars against Nurgle, but her soulpod survived to let her come back riding a Giant Beetle and ready to kick Nurgle's fat ass.

'''[[Tyrion]]''' - He's blind now, can only see through Teclis' eyes. Rules the realm of [[Hysh]].

'''[[Teclis]]''' - The Co-Ruler of Hysh alongside Tyrion. Had taught most Order Wizards the basics of magic during the Age of Myth. Accidentally created the [[Idoneth Deepkin]]. Hangs with Celennar the Hysh's moon spirit sphinx.

'''[[Malekith|Malerion]]'''- He's a dragonaelfgod now, is still self-serving.

'''[[Khaine]]''' - At least that's what the Daughters of Khaine believe.

'''[[Morathi]]''' - Who the Daughters of Khaine are really worshipping unknowingly. Tried to do a Nagash exit but failed.

'''[[Asuryan|Ur-Phoenix]]''' - By the Phoenix Temple Aelves.

Former member '''[[Nagash]]'''- the Great Necromancer, God of Death and Shyish. left to make his own faction because everyone doesn't like dying and he still is an Asshole.

Others like [[Valaya]], [[Kurnous|Kurnoth]] and [[Mathlann]] still get patronage. Mathlann is dead since he was eaten by Slaanesh but the Idoneth serve him symbolically while the survival of Kurnoth and Valaya is still up in the air. [[Morr]] might have survived as Morrda with [[Myrmidia]] and also [[Taal]].
[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Grand Alliance: Destruction

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{{Delete}}

Led by that big git Megaboss Gordrakk of the Ironjawz, the Grand Alliance of Destruction is comprised of terrible beasties from all across the realms, joined by their affinities to Gorkamorka. Primarily dominates the Realm of [[Ghur]].

==Aleguzzler Gargants==
You spot a huge, terrifying, slobbering giant, wielding what appears to be a fairly venerable tree and about to turn you into tomato puree. What is the first thing you remember? Their fondness for drink, apparently. Named after their tendency to MUI (Murder Under the Influence), Aleguzzler Gargants spend their days getting completely wasted and then wandering into battlefields. They then stagger around the mayhem, plucking out strange meats and eating it on the go (like your local kebab shop) or shoving it down their pants for safekeeping (again, like your local kebab shop). Forgeworld has the Bonegrinder Giant, which is bigger, meaner, and drunker, like your dad. Tactics page [[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Edition 1.1/Aleguzzler Gargants|here]].

==Grots==
As sneaky and crafty as ever. Now even further down the green totem pole with even bigger greenskins about.

'''Gitmob''' - Every Grot faction has a thing, and the Gitmob's thing is wolves. Even apart from Wolf Chariots and Wolf Riders, the Gitmob gets the most units out of the little greens, and more of an ability to make a balanced army. Led by Shamans (who can also ride wolves), as well as Goblin (Grot?) Warbosses who can also ride wolves, they have some fun artillery pieces and the trollish Nasty Skulkers in their arsenal. Also... [[Snotling|Snotlings]], I guess. Tactics page [[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Edition 1.1/Gitmob Grots|here]].

'''Moonclan''' - As before, these gents are generally still fanatical, squig-humping nutters. Have access to the Colossal Squig, when it takes a break from eating them. Tactics page [[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Edition 1.1/Moonclan Grots|here]].

'''Scuttlings''' - Weird Grots with four legs. You'd think that these half-spider gits would be in with that Spiderfang lot, but nope. Get poison and web attacks. A bunch took a severely wrong turn and unfortunately ended up in Tzeentch's [[Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower|Silver Tower]]. According to a recent story, Krenkha Gorogna, the Scuttlings of the Skyshoals are referred to as "Scuttlers". It is unknown if this links them to being the same as the Grotbag Scuttlers grot sky pirates.

'''Spiderfang''' - Spider-botherers. You get a spider, and you get a spider! Everybody gets a spider! Their Big Bosses ride atop gigantic spiders, and they have access to the mighty Arachnarok Spider. Also, lots of lovely poison attacks. Tactics page [[age of Sigmar/Tactics/Edition 1.1/Spiderfang Grots|here]].

'''Gloomspite Gitz''' - A [[Gloomspite Gitz|loose coalition]] of the Moonclans, Spiderfangs, Troggoths (and Gargants) that all worships the Bad Moon. Current posterboys of the Destruction faction. Tactics page [[age of Sigmar/Tactics/Destruction/Gloomspite Gitz|here]].

==Ogors==
The fat bastards are back, and in a fair few flavours! Apart from their old [[Ogre Kingdoms|kingdoms]], the big lugs remain the same - hungry, belligerent and fat.

'''Beastclaw Raiders''' - [[Beastclaw Raiders|Ogors riding big monsters]], eternally chased by an enchanted winter. Wherever they go, shrinkage occurs. Have a total of one Ogor unit that isn't mounted on something big and nasty, with everything else being additional beasties to support them. Outdated tactics for these frosty boys [[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Edition 1.1/Beastclaw Raiders|here]].

'''Ogor Mawtribes''' - [[Ogre Kingdoms|Ogre Kingdoms, now in Travelling Packages!]] Contains all the old Ogre units (including the Beastclaw Raiders) and a host of different tribes, like the Underguts who are pale and love cannons. Firebellies and Maneaters are featured here as well. You can find their tactics here: [[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Destruction/Ogor Mawtribes]].

==Orruks==
Still green. Still mean. Still ready to Waaagh!

'''Greenskinz''' - Oh, how the Boyz have fallen. This faction is comprised of the dregs of the Orruks, mashed into the category of "Greenskins". Led by Warbosses, who are probably a bit cheesed off that they've shifted down a couple of notches on the green scale. Better kick that Grot extra hard to relieve your size envy issues when them Ironjawz lads start laughing at you and your stunty mates. On the bright side, your army is more balanced, with decent ranged options and the choice of having your Warboss ride a Wyvern or Warboar. You've also got lighter (and cheaper) cavalry and chariots to play with, at that. You also have a good bank of old school Orc Warboss special characters to draw from in the Orcs and Goblins Compendium on the GW website. In terms of fluff, these guys are basically the recruiting pool for the other two Orruk factions. Particularly 'ard lads get a bunch of armour scraped together and go off to be footmen for the Ironjawz as 'ardboyz. Gits that feel the call of the Waaaagh! a bit too much or kill a big monster and go a bit mental afterwards go and wander for a bit until they find some Bonesplitterz. Tactics page [[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Edition 1.1/Greenskinz|here]].

'''Bonesplitterz''' - The [[Bonesplitterz|"savage" Orruks]]. Because your run-of-the-mill Orruk wants to drink tea and discuss politics, right? The Bonesplitterz are led by shamans (Wurrgog Prophets and Wardoks), who point them to big and mean monsters to kill and eat in order to consume their strength. You see, the Bonesplitterz believe that Gorkamorka's strength is squirreled away in the living shells of big monsters, meaning that they need to RIP AND TEAR! They have a bunch of options for taking out Monster units on the table, which is handy if your opponent thinks he's clever for spamming them. These guys are as naked as the day they were spawned, with only strategically-placed trophies covering their spore sacks. They have a thing for magical tattoos, which have a chance of saving their green skins from getting mulched. Tactics page [[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Edition 1.1/Bonesplitterz|here]].

'''Ironjawz''' - Remember those dead 'ard [[Black Orc]] gits from [[Warhammer Fantasy|way back when]]? Those are the [[Ironjawz]]' basic troops. Yeah. These are the biggest and the baddest Orruks, and the "main" Destruction faction. They wear a crap-ton of armour, and generally their bigger lads seem to be the fantasy answer to Warhammer 40k's [[Meganobz]]. Also present: huge, beasty dragon things called Mawkrushas, who share the Orruk traits of headbutting things until they stop moving, and then sitting on them. With [[Grimgor Ironhide|Grimgor]] gone, Megaboss [[Gordrakk]] has big boots to fill. Luckily, he's got some big feet, which are ready for stompin'. You're quite slow (which is deceptively to your advantage as you have a massive potential charge range) and no ranged options whatsoever, barring the shout attack that Mawkrushas get. Tactics page [[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Edition 1.1/Ironjawz|here]].

'''Kruleboyz''' - Composed of a new subspecies of Orruk adapted for the treacherous swamps of Ghur, the [[Kruleboyz]] are (unusually for Orruks) incredibly pragmatic, sneaky, and... well, cruel. These boyz utilize all sorts of guerrilla and terror tactics, from poisoned weapons to camouflaged traps and ambushes to chemical warfare.

==Troggoths==
Includes the Sourbreath (stupid), Rockgut (magic resistant), and Fellwater (bulimic). All of them spew buckets at the drop of a hat and melt anyone stupid enough to stand in front of it. Have the Troll (Troggoth?) Hag as a Leader option, so that you may seduce your opponent with the delicate sway of her sausage-like tits. Tactics page [[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Edition 1.1/Troggoths|here]].

==Fimir==
[[Fimir|Swamp rapists]] return! This time with less rape, hopefully.

The Fimir originate from Ghyran on an island called Peel and appear to be virtually the same outside of the abandonment of pseudo-celtic names for their society. Instead of a Maergh they follow a Matriarch, which seems to follow the exact same idea. They live on a shitty island and appear to have completely been abandoned by Chaos, again. Their survival into the new realms means that someone had to have re-seeded them, though whether it was a pity move by the Chaos Gods or just because they like to watch them suffer in their eternal role as the red-headed stepchild is unknown.

They've tossed themselves in with the Grand Alliance of Destruction instead of aligning with Chaos, possibly either having forgotten their origins or just tired of playing second fiddle in Chaos' eyes. They don't appear to breed by rape or anything of the sort anymore as their warscroll specifically refers to them being hatched from eggs.

==Pantheon==
'''Gorkamorka''' - The combined form of Gork and Mork, mirroring the true potential of the numerous Destruction races when united under a common cause/iron fist. Otherwise, when they're divided and fighting, Gork and Mork split and fight each other too. The Orruks worship him by assaulting bulwarks of civilisation, leaving great effigies in his image cobbled together from lumber, scrap and dung. To the Gutbuster Ogors, he is The Great Beast who will Consume the World, and they worship him by working towards eating everything within the Mortal Realms. The Firebelly tribes revere him as the Sun-eater, and honour him by eating as much combustible material as possible to incinerate their enemies with flaming breath.

'''[[Mork]]''' - Brutal but cunnin'. Will hit you hard when you're not looking.

'''[[Gork]]''' - Cunnin' but brutal. Will hit you even harder when you are.

'''Bad Moon''' - The deity of those sneaky Moonclan Grot (and [[Gloomspite Gitz]]). They believe that Gorkamorka tried to take a bite out of the Bad Moon and broke his teef, which rained down upon the Mortal Realms and became the mountains in which they dwell.

'''The [[Spider-god]]''' - Worshipped by the venomous Spiderfang Grots. Bit Gorkamorka on the toe and took on some of his divine essence as a result.

'''Balor''' - Daemon Prince worshipped by Fimir.

'''Kroll''' - Daemon Prince worshipped by Fimir.

'''Lisaart''' - Daemon Prince worshipped by Fimir.

'''[[Morr]]''' - Worshipped by Fimir.

'''[[Kragnos]]''' - The god of earthquakes a being sealed in the age of myth but has returned and is ranked second only to Gorkamorka in reverence by the forces of destruction.

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Grand Alliance: Death

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{{Topquote|Every dead body that is not exterminated gets up and kills. The people it kills get up and kill.|<s>Gorillaz</s> '''Dr. Foster''', ''Dawn of the Dead''}}
Marching beneath the black, decrepit banner of <s>Skeletor</s> [[Nagash]], Lord of Undeath, the rotting hordes of Death seek to swell their ranks and expand their influence on the Realms.

Death is unique among the Grand Alliances in that it is under the command of one single being. While Sigmar controls most but not all of the forces of Order, the Chaos Gods fight endlessly amongst themselves and nobody tells the Orruks what to do (Gorkamorka is/are pretty hand's off god/s), Nagash is the king, pharaoh, generalissimo and undisputed ruler of Shyish and of Death in general.

==Deadwalkers==
Zombies, Corpse Carts and Dire Wolves. Not much else to say but mind the smell. While not so effective on the tabletop except in large numbers, lorewise every zombie can potentially cause a zombie apocalypse; everyone killed by a zombie becomes a zombie, then everyone that new zombie kills becomes a zombie, rinse and repeat - also it effects more than just humans. Tactics page [[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Edition 1.1/Deathwalker|here]].

==Deathlords==
Nagash and friends. The elite guys of the Death Grand Alliance, where every special named character hangs out. They also have their undead angel-gargoyle bodyguards. [[Vlad von Carstein]] and [[Settra the Imperishable]] are conspicuously missing, and much-missed. Tactics page [[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Edition 1.1/Deathlords|here]].

==Deathmages==
The crusty Necromancers who actually did well out of this whole "end of the world" arrangement, finally being independent of the Vampires, and having enough room to spread their feet across an entire realm to boot. Tactics page [[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Edition 1.1/Deathmages|here]].

==Deathrattle==
It's the skellies, ready to help you bone your opponent until they like it. General bare-bones skeletal infantry and cavalry overseen by Wight Kings, who are now generally evil kings who were overthrown or assassinated in the realm of [[Shyish]], coming back by sheer dickish willpower to dominate crumbling ruins of their former kingdoms. While a fairly small list, there's another option if you only want to run a skeleton crew - make sure to pick up some units from the Tomb Kings entry listed below. Many of their unit entries have the DEATHRATTLE keyword (and some, like Settra and Necrotechts, can buff/synergise well with them), and by combining the two you can get a nice full and fluffy list. Tactics page [[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Edition 1.1/Deathrattle|here]].

==Flesh-Eater Courts==
The first Death faction to get their own Battletome, the ghouls have been refluffed, and in quite a cool manner, too. Now, they see themselves as honourable subjects of a benevolent kingdom, blind to their true form and behaviour due to the contagious insanity of [[Ushoran]]. Those two cannibalistic monsters snarling and fighting each other over an old woman's legbone? Just a couple of old friends having a polite haggle in the market over a loaf of bread. The most vicious, terrifying of their number flying atop a massive, decaying zombie dragon? Their great and kind king riding out atop his noble steed to war against injustice, of course.

==Nighthaunt==
Spooky ghosts. Also the Black Coach. Generally trollish and annoying to kill due to their ethereal-ness, it also includes the absolutely disgusting Mourngul.

The ghosts of Nighthaunt generally have some kind of ironic punishment inflicted upon them, because Nagash is a bastard. Their boss is [[Lady Olynder]], Mortarch of Tasteful Ghost Boob.

==Soulblight==
It's the <s>Vampires</s> Soulblight! It's all your classic (and mostly dated) vampire models. Even the classic hero models are here, only now completely bland, generic Vampire Lords instead of actual characters. [[Age_of_Sigmar/Tactics/Edition_1.1/Soulblight|See more here]].

The majority of them serve Neferata, but some serve Mannfred, Arkhan or go rogue.

==Ossiarch Bonereapers==
For when Deathrattle can't bone hard enough. A legion of bone constructs, not quite like the [[Tomb Kings]]. These were Nagash's pet project, one that he set up since before the Age of Chaos by constructing massive underground tombs that evaded the notice of all parties involved. Then, after the Age of Chaos subsided, the first of these not-skillies emerged bleary-eyed from their tombs and returned to Shyish to be remolded by the Bone-Daddy himself.

These guys are the elite infantry of the forces of Death, immune to fear and very obedient to their master. Their boss is [[Katakros]], Mortarch of the Necropolis.

==Other==
'''Tomb Kings (Warscrolls Compendium: Tomb Kings[https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/PDF/AoS_Compendiums/warhammer-aos-tomb-kings-en.pdf])''' - Poor, poor Tomb Kings. Discontinued and all but absent from mention in the fluff (apart from Neferata fucking around with "Nulahmia"), what could possibly save them from such disgrace? Being disgusting on the tabletop, that's what. Some GW guy obviously took pity on the not-Egyptians and gave them a great list, making them popular in tournaments and their models have become even more popular. So why did GW not want to make money from this again?

{{Grand Alliance: Death}}

[[Category: Age of Sigmar]]

Godbeast

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{{stub}}
'''Godbeasts''' are gigantic monsters from the [[Age of Sigmar]] setting. These colossal beasts are typically the progenitors of the various breeds of monsters that plague the mortal realms. Most of them died in the Age of Myth, being slain by [[Sigmar]], [[Nagash]] or [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]], or were subsequently imprisoned under the earth if they proved to powerful to destroy. However several of them have survived into the Age of Sigmar, some of which have even fallen to Chaos.

==History==

Under Construction...

==Notable Godbeasts==

===The Gargant Lineage: [[Sons of Behemat|Behemat]], Gorg, Ama-Gorag, and Ymnog===
Behemat, The Father of Gargants. His story begins with '''Ymnog''', the Grandfather of Gargants. Inside his stomach was born Behemat, along with his 2 brothers, Gorg and Ama-Gorag, who 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, although his brothers Gorg and Ama-Gorag were busy arguing and fell back into their father's stomach, presumably digested. It is said the gargants were created from his 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. He was goaded by Gorkamorka, his master (who himself was manipulated by [[Tzeentch]]), into challenging [[Sigmar]] and was promptly knocked the fuck out, collapsing in the Realm of Life Ghyran (the region known as the Harmonis Veldt, to be precise). While he was asleep, his body would become covered by 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. Archaon planned to corrupt him to Chaos, forcing the [[Stormcast Eternals]] to put him down before he was fully corrupted. His wayward offspring, the Gargants, have begun forming together into various tribes known collectively as the Sons of Behemat.

===[[Dracothion]]===
Progenitor of the Stardrakes, Dracoths, and Draconith the star-dragon Dracothion is one of the closest allies of the Pantheon of Order, being the one who guided both Sigmar and the [[Lizardmen|Seraphon]] to the Mortal Realms. May or may not be [[Sotek]] from the old world with a name change.

===Skalok the Skull Host of Khorne===
The only godbeast with an actual (albeit Forge World) tabletop model, Skalok was a mighty dragon slain by the Khornate lord Vorgaroth the Scarred. Impressed by Skalok's might, Khorne resurrected her as his servant and forced her to work together with Vorgaroth by cursing them so that if one was ever slain, the other will be destroyed by Khorne's fury as well. She obviously fucking despises her situation in symbiosis with Vorgaroth and copes by eating other Khorne worshippers (and pretty much anything she kills, given she is a blood crazed champion of Khorne), Vorgaroth in turn is quite concerned for the obvious reason of having to stick close to a dragoness he personally pissed off. They make a pretty effective team though.

===[[Spider-god|The Spider God]]===
An arachnid godbeast worshipped by the Spiderfang Grot tribes and as the Scuttling Queen by assassins and other shady outcasts. Believed to have been an ordinary spider that bit Gorkamorka on the foot and absorbed his power, or the original Spider God who ascended after biting Gorkamorka.

===Vulcatrix===
The Ur-Salamander and mother of the Magmadroths, Vulcatrix died in battle against the Duardin god [[Grimnir]]. Her body exploded into millions of pieces that’d become magmadroth eggs. One of the largest pieces became fellow Godbeast '''Ignimbrus''', son of Vulcatrix and the largest still living Magmadroth who lives outside the [[Fyreslayers|Unbak Lodge]] like a guard dog.

===Fangathrak===
The World-Worm, a giant spiky worm that burrows throughout the Realm of Beasts in a ceaseless rampage. Inside it’s gullet is the Ghurish Realmgate leading to the Eightpoints. Thus capturing/releasing this massive Tremors reference has been a goal for several factions.
[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category:40k and Fantasy Gods]]

===Nagendra===
Originally a Godbeast, was splintered into pieces which were corrupted into the Daemonic Coiling Ones, technically changing Nagendra into being a Minor Chaos God. Worshipped by the Splintered Fangs Chaos Tribe of Ghyran.

Goblin

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[[File:Path Gob Rat.PNG|thumb|right|300px|Brushy brushy.]]

{{Topquote|I want to have goblins about me, for I am courageous. The courage which scareth away ghosts, createth for itself goblins--it wanteth to laugh.|Friedrich Nietzsche, ''Thus Spoke Zarathustra''}}

'''Goblins''' are mythological creatures of unclear origin and contradicting descriptions, but are generally agreed to be small humanoids with a mischievous nature, possibly belonging to the fey family (along with creatures such as redcaps, brownies, leprechauns, kobolds, etc).

The origin of the word "Goblin" can be traced back to the British "Gobelinus", which was the name of a demon that once caused trouble in Normandy. It has been theorized the term began with [[Kobold]], which was a German Fey spirit whose origins can be traced to one of a variety of earlier myths based in Paganism from various other cultures. Kobolds also gave their name to cobalt, due to the fact that new advances of mining in Middle Ages Germany allowed access to large amounts of that element, but the mining was very dangerous, they had no idea how to smelt the mineral, and it turned out to be toxic to touch, so as a result the numerous mine collapses as well as the "theft of the ore, with only poison and ash left behind" were blamed on Kobolds cursing the new metal. Either way, Goblin myths often involve mischief, mining, and chemistry.

In modern fantasy, the term "Goblin" has been very much defined by the Tolkienian conception of the word - as in a species of stunted humanoids in service to evil ("Orc" was another name for said species, with Tolkien claiming the etymology of ''that'' word as being an old English term for demon). Goblin appearance has been further shaped by both video- and boardgames, as well as various artists. They are universally smaller than humans, although the exact size varies, and often have large pointy ears (larger, wider/triangular, and more animalistic than elf ears) and either long, crooked, and pointed noses (For DnD goblins, a large or otherwise impressive nose is a sign of virility and attractiveness in a male) or orc-esque noseless features.

The basic goblin stereotype is that of a savage warrior and raider that attacks villages and ambushes unwary travelers; being one-dimensionally evil, they can be, and often are, killed without remorse in large numbers (unless you read Eberron, G:LTTE, or Terry Pratchett's Snuff). They act and move in small groups (as they don't pose a large threat by themselves but are wary enough of human reprisals to avoid mass hordes that will bestir an army to mobilize and wipe them all out), and are commonly the first true monster encounter for a young adventurer (most don't count animal culling even if said animals are unnaturally enhanced, such as the [[Giant Rat]]). Goblins tend to live in caves, swamps, or other "badlands", and gang up with orcs and similar races, with whom they are sometimes described as belonging to the same family or species. Their intelligence is usually fairly low, although among dumber and larger brutes they will be the clever ones doing the "skilled" work while the bigger ones shout orders.

A lesser but definitely competing Goblin stereotype is that they are an unusually technologically advanced and ludicrously smart/cunning race on par with if not better than [[Dwarves]], such as by creating fantasy machine guns or an entire robot army in Warcraft or Dungeon Siege, though usually with the handicap of being very blasé about construction- or even user-safety, as well as being consummate merchants; Tinker Goblins will gleefully sell or contract out to a wannabe evil conqueror, but almost never become one themselves. If you couldn’t tell from the examples given, this was really more of video game trope for a long time; goblins in tabletop were sometimes described as oddly industrious, but until recent years it never extended beyond a joke gimmick or the occasional war machine pulled right out of their green asses just to give the PCs/Good Races a hard time in a campaign/lore battle.

Because of the comedy potential, players have always liked being goblins, and they were one of the three most-popular races requested for an add-on to 5e as of a (no longer) recent survey.

[[Goblinoid]]s include a vast array of species in D&D, ranging from obscurities like the stone-skinned [[Norker]]s and the "they heal when you hit them, die if you heal them" [[Nilbog]]s to mainstays like the more organized [[Hobgoblin]]s and the big, scary, pseudo-[[orcs]] called [[Bugbear]]s.

=In /tg/ Media=
In the [[Iron Kingdoms]] and [[Magic: The Gathering]] (sometimes), goblins have a penchant for technology and love to tinker with machinery (especially steampunk contraptions and the like), somewhat propagating the "mad scientist" archetype.

In [[Kings of War]] goblins are still a source of evil comic relief. They're often suggested to have been created by the [[Celestians (Kings of War)|Celestian]] Garkhan the Black after he finished creating the orcs with "whatever was left," although where exactly they came from is a mystery. They're still engineers as in many settings, but they tend to be very short-term thinking and don't like to test things before they use them.

In [[Eberron]], goblins are quite a bit different than their usual portrayal, described in the d&d section below

In [[Pathfinder]], they're stupid little freaks with all manner of strange quirks (good singing voices, fear horses and writing, like fire and pickles), sort of a cross between Gremlins and a baby-eating Stitch. They are also very funny and (somewhat) lovable, and even have their own comic series. Surprisingly, despite being described as naturally inclined towards a mixture of [[Chaotic Stupid]] (easily distractable to the point of stopping combat ''mid-swing'' to chase a frog or pick their nose) and [[Stupid Evil]] (love of torturing anything smaller than them) behaviors, they have no mental penalties. Pathfinder also has a goblin variant called the Monkey Goblin, which is even ''stupider'' than regular goblins, but much stronger and more agile, using a rat-like prehensile tail to aid it in a life in the trees.

In [[Malifaux]], they're noseless hillbillies with very few womanfolk called Gremlins complete with straw hats, jug bands, blunderbusses, and lots of pigs. Also come in an Asian variant.

=Tolkien Goblins=
[[File:Tolkien Goblins.JPG|thumb|The most accepted origin of Goblins in the Middle Earth setting.]]

{{Topquote|Now goblins are cruel, wicked, and bad-hearted. They make no beautiful things, but they make many clever ones.|[[J. R. R. Tolkien]], ''[[The Hobbit]]''}}

Tolkien was not consistent on the relationship between goblins and orcs. Initially he said that "Goblin" was merely the halfling word for Orc, though that was swiftly contradicted. The main narrative text of <i>The Hobbit</i> contains few explicit mentions of orcs at all; it is remarked early on that the name of the sword "Orcrist" translates, in the ancient tongue of Gondolin, to "goblin cleaver", and later Gandalf rebuffs Bilbo's suggestion that the Company walk ''around'' Mirkwood instead of through it by informing him that there is a necromancer's lair to the south and to the north the Grey Mountains are "bristling with hobgoblins and orcs of large and viscous breed". LotR proper and later notes made further statements insinuating that goblins were a specific subtype of orc. Even later notes started to treat goblins and orcs like completely separate creatures, so take your pick, but the most "developed" canon leans significantly towards the "goblins are a runty orc subspecies" reading. Generally, since The Hobbit is the central foundation to his stories and it makes a point of explaining that Orcs are just larger types of Goblins, along with Lord Of The Rings having most Orcs as being not much bigger than Hobbits, Goblins are seen as around Hobbit-sized or even a bit smaller.

Goblins/Orcs have a multiplicity of origin stories from Tolkien and he never really settled on one definitively, although the most prominent one posits that they are the twisted forms of Elves tortured and beat into submission by Morgoth and Sauron. Other origins include: an Asian group of Elves stolen from their people and bred as slaves by Morgoth & Sauron, just being animals uplifted by M&S, fallen Maiar, men who were corrupted rather than Elves (or a mix of the two, with post-corruption interbreeding with humans as yet another possibility), or even just slimy rocks transformed by Morgoth's magic into living beings. Regardless of how they came about, once created they swiftly became the backbone of Sauron's armies (his other monstrous creations mostly not surviving the dwindling of magic over the passing Ages) that are heavily industrialized and produce only ugly things that cause sickness (perhaps a metaphor for wartime industry). On the subject of canon; Christopher Tolkien ultimately decided on them being Elves who were among the first group to awaken but believed Morgoth's whispers that the Valar were beings of evil and fled from them into the woods when the Valar first met the Elves to be later captured by or lured into Morgoth's power, so that's the go-to answer for the Tolkien scholars.

The notion of an entirely evil race conflicted big time with Tolkien's Catholic beliefs, so there are hints that not all Goblins and Orcs were evil, as a few passages indicate no race was wholly united for or against Morgoth; there are independent groups of Goblins in The Hobbit, and a few lines given indicate that Orcs will go to great lengths to avenge their fallen leaders, while in his notes he considered them a race capable of free-choice and thus not the "[[Always Chaotic Evil]]" inborn bloc that many later works paint them to be. Frodo and Sam were even meant to pass through a friendly (if crude) village of pacifist renegade orcs at one point in a scrapped chapter.

Although Tolkien did try to avoid overtly assigning any real-life peoples to his fantasy races, the Goblins are very blatantly Asians with fangs and Tolkein once described them as "Mongol-types". If you want to be ''really'' charitable you could argue that alternatively, in dialect and mannerisms, [[Ork|orcs and goblins are exaggerated Cockney thugs]] or louts from urban South West England, in direct contrast to the very genteel Midland Farm Country hobbits, bumping the caricatures down a notch or two from "out-and-out racist" to "exceedingly classist and provincialist".

Orcs and Goblins are repeatedly stated by the narration to be fantastic inventors and engineers, with one of Tolkien's notes alleging that they have access to rudimentary blackpowder weaponry, but this isn’t really shown. Sure, Uruk-Hai are anachronistic in their munition armor and drilling exercises, but that's entirely thanks to being bred, trained, and outfitted by Saruman. I guess the shantytown metropolis inside the Misty Mountains is a rather impressive feat of construction, but that's really it for stuff they are seen to have actually built themselves.

=Warhammer=

{{Topquote|Gork and Mork made da Goblinz for us to kick, kill, and eat. Dey iz nothing. Dey iz less than nothing. Even dere magic iz weak an' pointless. Only use Dey got in a fight iz catchin' Humie arrows. Wiv der 'eads.|Sheglak, Orc Great Shaman}}

In early [[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]], Goblins were merely a shorter variety of Orcs, which were green-skinned evil humanoids ([[Red Goblins|though some were red]]) who sometimes bred with humans. In fact, Warhammer Fantasy was the very first depiction of Goblins and Orcs as green-skinned, something that has since become a staple of the races in pop culture. This is mostly because they came from model ranges that GW had lost the rights to sell (e.g. Tolkien or D&D) and thus needed to quickly rebrand them as something with a veneer of uniqueness to finish selling their existing inventory. The specific choice of new complexion may have been inspired by [[Marvel Comics|The Incredible Hulk]], for like Orks he is also hugely muscled, mindlessly destructive, and originally ''grey''-skinned.

With the creation of [[Warhammer 40,000]], the Goblins became [[Grots]], also called Gretchin, who like the [[Orks]] were actually a type of fungus ape. Between their legs is only two bulging spore-sacs which burst upon death and grow into new Grots/Orks in the ground. After 40k had massive success, this was ported back into Warhammer Fantasy and Goblins, along with the Orcs, became fungus men. [[Skub|Some oldschool Warhammer fans have rejected this, and the term "Orcgina" can make many on /tg/ go into flashbacks about the arguments inspired between the oldfags and newfags on the subject.]]

In both settings, Goblins/Grots are smaller greenskins who are extremely vicious but also extremely cowardly and refuse to attack something unless they outnumber it ten to one (preferably much more). Against nonthreatening foes however they enjoy torturing them, and POWs are subjected to horribly slow deaths to the chittering amusement of the tiny greenskins.

In Warhammer Fantasy, Goblins are independent of Orcs, with most living in their own separate tribes. A few even have their own gods, like the [[Forest Goblins]] who worship the [[Spider-god]]. Despite this, many Goblins also join groups with Orcs, a decision that invariably ends with either the Goblins ganging-up to bully the Orcs into doing their manual labor, or them ''getting'' bullied by sufficiently numerous and united Orcs into doing said labor.

While only the [[Black Orc]]s are capable of actually producing new goods or learning technical skills among the larger greenskins, Goblins produce many things, from chariots to giant flying ships. Of special note is the Night Goblins; master chemists whose biology is bizarre and alien in its fungal nature even to other greenskins. Red Goblins existed in the early model ranges, as well as Bugbears and Kobolds, but they vanished as the old model ranges were replaced.

Apart from all this, the main distinction between Goblins and 40k Grots is that Goblins aren't all weak, subservient slaves - Goblins individually ''are'' pretty weedy, but they do try to deck themselves out in armor and whatnot and can even take over Orc tribes, if a cunning or vicious enough Boss arrives. Most often this will be a Shaman (for his tricks and ability to scheme) or a Night Goblin Warboss (for being fucking insane), but even a normal (AKA Plains) Goblin Warboss can be a significant threat.

In 40k, Grots have almost no freedom and are only found alongside their bigger kin. They're not the strongest, quickest, meanest, or anything-est compared to the Orks, except for being better shots and more kunnin', to the point of generally being brighter (though that's not saying much). In most cases they are at best assistants, at worst slaves and moving targets. The only exception is the [[Gretchin Revolutionary Committee]], although that...ended badly. They fare a little better in Mek-controlled settlements where their technological know-how and small size are more in-demand. They may even be allowed to make their own tanks - small and scrappy, but dangerous at least.

In both Warhammers, all greenskins speak in a British Cockney accent, with heavy Chav mixed in for variation. Goblins were renamed to Grots in [[Age of Sigmar]].

<gallery>
Image:Bad Moon Goblins.png|Warhammer Fantasy Goblins of today.
Image:Goblin Airship.JPG|Warboss Beater Pan(ic)!
Image:Gretchinmob.jpg|Grots.
</gallery>

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

=D&D Goblins=
[[File:Goblin DMG 5e.jpg|right|300px]]

{{Topquote|Goblins are what you default to when you have no idea what the party should be fighting, because they're just so splattered all over the realm that everyone just accepts that they can show up anywhere.|JoCat, ''A Crap Guide to D&D - Goblins''}}

[[Dungeons & Dragons]] did not do anything particularly innovative with goblins. Instead, they are fairly close(ish) to their Tolkien roots - or, rather, to a simplified caricature of Tolkien's goblins; small, hateful, savage creatures that infest the unwanted corners of the world, constantly squabbling amongst themselves for power and occasionally spilling out to raid and terrorize the neighboring civilized lands when their numbers build up enough. Whilst Tolkien's goblins were actually quite inventive and adept at building things, since they were a combination of the two peoples that Tolkien most disliked (the Central soldiers he'd fought in WW1, and the industrialists he believed were destroying the countryside), D&D's goblins lack that trait due to [[Medieval Stasis]] - they're not quite as primitive as [[lizardfolk]], but are still the quintessential depiction of them as "just tribal scavengers", in contrast to goblins in much other media being "the chaotic and/or evil tinker race".

In fact, when you scratch the surface, D&D goblins may tap into the same "evil mook" basis as Tolkien's goblins, but actually are deliberately taken in different ways. Whilst originally D&D [[orc]]s & goblins are implied to have often worked together, and even interbred, by the time of [[Planescape]] the two were actually bitter enemies - the two races share the same "heaven" of [[Acheron]], where they constantly war in an attempt to drive the other race to extinction. This even persisted into 3rd edition, when the orcs' changed racial alignment of Chaotic Evil meant they shouldn't have been going to Acheron in the first place. This stands in stark contrast both to Tolkien (who initially said that "orc" and "goblin" were words in two different languages for the same race) and to other popular settings, such as [[Warhammer Fantasy]] & [[Warcraft]], where goblins tend to be a strong racial ally to orcs. Some sourcebooks, usually setting dependent, present a more nuanced portrayal of them and give them a deeper culture than that, but for the most part, D&D goblins are your standard generic cannon fodder evil mooks.

However, just like the [[orc]]s, goblins have a ''long'' history of being a potential PC race in [[Dungeons & Dragons]] - they've been playable in literally every single edition, with multiple incarnations in 3rd edition. The usual idea is to play them up as "spunky little troublemakers" - either a scrappier analogue for the [[halfling]] or a less kitschy counterpart to the [[gnome]] (or even a more high-functioning version of the [[Kender]], without the stigma). And, for what it's worth, goblin PCs are actually generally quite liked. In fact, goblins were one of the player races most requested for a formal update into 5th edition PC races. Given the second season of [[Critical Role]] features a goblin PC as a main character, in the form of Nott (a self-loathing female who wants to become a [[halfling]]), and the fact that [[Pathfinder]] goblins have such an fandom that Pathfinder 2e promotes them to a corebook race, many are expecting an eventual 6e to feature playable goblins in the PHB, just like how 4e added the [[tiefling]] and the [[dragonborn]].

The biggest exception to goblins being generic evil baddies in d&d is the Eberron
setting, where they're given a nuanced portrayal, with a deep and sophisticated culture. In [[Eberron]], "goblin" is used to refer to bugbears, hobgoblins, and goblins. They are the descendants of the once mighty continent spanning Empire of Dhakaan that collapsed because of an invasion by the [[Daelkyr]], masters of the plane of madness. The invasion was eventually beaten back by an alliance between the empire and the orc tribes called the Gatekeepers (badass men-in-black style druids who protect the world from lovecraftian horrors), but the empire fell afterwards. They're not the banal savages that you can kill guilt free in many other settings.

In the current day they are split up into three broad cultural groups (and a few splinter groups) - the smallest of the big three are The Heirs of Dhakaan, or Dar Dhakaani, which are the badass super disciplined remnants of the empire who preserved their way of life after the empire collapsed by hiding underground or in secluded mountains (thus quarantining themselves from the Plague of Silence) and would like to bring goblins back to their previous heights, especially now that they know the rest of goblinoid population is no longer contagious. The various goblin races are all equal under the Dhakaani and share a eusocial bond like ants. They specialize in different tasks - the hobgoblins are administrators and soldiers (females are usually bards), goblins are workers, scouts and spies, and the bugbears are shock troopers and heavy laborers - but if you're better at a job outside your cultural role, the empire doesn't waste talent and puts you in that job. On the darker side, Dhakaani are ''very'' xenophobic and see no place for non-goblinoids in their society (for good reason, as they could not share their eusocial bonds), at best exiling them from places they conquer, and at worst killing them all. The latter is disturbingly common, since Dar Dhakaani like to keep their existence secret to surface-dwellers and are usually quite good at it.

Then you have the Ghaal'Dar, who made up the bulk of the descendants of the collapsed empire and had to deal with the fallout. Their culture degenerated into petty barbarian tribes with a might-makes-right mentality, their eusocial bond destroyed by the daelkyr Plague of Silence. They are usually ruled by hobgoblins due to their superior ability to organize vs the other two subspecies. However, during the conflict known as The Last War they united and stole a chunk of land from the human kingdoms that they named Darguun. It's their "new goblin Homeland" and they're starting to rebuild their culture from there, but nobody thinks it will last. It's ruled by an alliance of clans with the leader, Lhesh Haruuc maintaining a delicate balance of power between them to maintain stability. He's tried to institute the rule of law and has been mostly successful, but a few clans (mostly in desolate areas where they can get away with it) only pay lip service. The country has been a success so far and their culture is slowly clawing its way out of the dumps, but many are worried that when Haruuc dies it will all fall apart, so he is desperately looking for a competent successor. There's also an extra layer of Dar Dhakaani sending their spies, agents and entire squads of elite operatives masquerading as "Ghaal'Dar from remote holds" or even assassinating Darguun leaders and replacing them with Dar Dhakaani doubles to manipulate Darguun into becoming a seed from which Dhakaani empire could be rebuilt and indoctrinating Darguun goblins into old Dhakaani beliefs instead of tribal traditions they picked up after empire's collapse. It wouldn't be out of character for Dar Dhakaani to kidnap entire villages of Ghaal'Dar goblins to experiment on them in hope to reverse Plague of Silence effects.

The last major cultural group are the city goblins. They're the descendents of Ghaal'Dar goblinoids who weren't killed or fled when the humans conquered the continent, and were enslaved for a few thousand years. They're mostly lower g goblins, and were released from slavery about a thousand years before the current time. They're considered tax paying citizens and have all the rights (on paper) of human or [[Demihuman]] citizens of the countries they live in. However, they tend to be poor and live as second-class citizens in many places due to racism and lack of opportunities, as well as objective reasons like short lifespan, meaning less time to get education for high-paying jobs compared to humans, and [[Warforged]] flooding the low-paying job market after the war and incidentally lowering wages for everyone else. The majority of them are loyal to their country of birth and consider themselves regular citizens, and they often dislike the Ghaal'Dar for committing war crimes during the Last War and giving goblins a bad name. Most of the ones who were sympathetic to Ghaal'Dar moved to Darguun.

Goblins (like 99% of races in this setting) are not naturally evil in Eberron; they have the same range of alignments as every other sentient race. For cultural reasons they do tend towards being Lawful Neutral, but only slightly.

As a somewhat curious aside, D&D goblins are yellow (mostly) compared to the more usual goblin color of green. This trait survived even after the popularization of green Goblins in most other fantasy settings, most prominently the aforementioned Warhammer Fantasy and Warcraft. A few settings sometimes portray them as shades of grey, or the previously mentioned colors with a grey tint. They're even portrayed as red or deep orange in some artwork.

The D&D goblin has a ''huge'' family tree, to the point they even coined their own racial name; "[[goblinoid]]". The two most prominent goblin-kin are the [[bugbear]]s - large, hairy, brutish goblins that, arguably, are D&D's attempt to maintain the orcy archetype without making orcs & goblins officially related - and the [[hobgoblin]]s, who are literally Tolkien's Uruk-Hai.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Goblin ODD1.png|Original D&D
Goblin MM 1e.jpg|1e
Markessa goblins A2.png
Goblin Monster card.jpg|AD&D Monster Card
goblin MCV1.jpg|2e
Goblin MM 2e.png
goblin First Quest.jpg
Goblin slaver First Quest.jpg|They call him Baby-Face
Goblin A0-A4.png
Goblin 3e.jpg|3e
Goblin 4e.jpg|4e. The only edition with GREEN goblins!
Goblin 5e.jpg|5e
TWBTW Jingle Jangle.png|Post-Tasha's they are looking pretty [[gnome]]y
TWBTW chucklehead.png
Goblin B1.png|Pathfinder
goblin ARG 1.png
goblin ARG 2.png
Goblin SF.png|Starfinder
</gallery>

==PC Stats==
===BECMI===
Goblin PCs first appeared, alongside many other "classic humanoids", as PCs in the Known World Gazetteer #10: The Orcs of Thar. Under the Basic system, they had the following crunch:

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<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
::Goblin Ability Modifiers: -3 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +1 Constitution
::Note: Like all Humanoids from "The Orcs of Thar", a Goblin has racial ability score caps of 18 in all scores bar [[Intelligence]] and [[Wisdom]], which are capped at 16.
::Note: Like all Humanoids from "The Orcs of Thar", a Goblin determines its [[Charisma]] score for interacting with [[human]]s and [[demihuman]]s by dividing its Charisma score by 3 (rounding down) and subtracting the result from 9.
::Goblin Natural Armor Class: 8
::Can become a [[Shaman]] (8th level) and a [[Wokani]] (6th level)

{| class=wikitable
!Goblin's's level || XP Required || Goblin's hit dice
|-
|0||0||d8-1
|-
|1||800||2d8-2
|-
|2||1,600||3d8-3
|-
|3||3,200||-
|-
|4||6,400||4d8-4
|-
|5||13,000||5d8-5
|-
|6||26,000||6d8-5
|-
|7||55,000||-
|-
|8||110,000||7d8-5
|-
|9||220,000||+2 Hit Points
|-
|Subsequent||160,000||+2 Hit Points
|}
</div></div>

===AD&D===
Goblins went on to appear in [[The Complete Book of|The Complete Book of Humanoids]]:
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<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
::Ability Score Modifiers: -1 Strength, -1 Charisma
::Ability Score Range: Strength 4/15, Dexterity 4/17, Constitution 5/16, Intelligence 3/18, Wisdom 3/18, Charisma 3/12
::Class Restrictions: [[Fighter]] 10, [[Cleric]] 9, Shaman 7, Witch Doctor 7, [[Thief]] 12
::Infravision 60 feet
::Can detect new or unusual constructions in an underground area with a 25% chance of success (1-2 on a d8).
::Goblin shamans have access to the Spheres of Divination, Reversed Healing, Protection and Reversed Sun.
::-1 Penalty to their attack rolls when in bright sunshine
::Monstrous Traits: Appearance (-2 to to reaction rolls), Bestial Habits (-2 to reaction rolls)
::Weapon Proficiencies: Axe, Military Pick, Morning Star Sling, Short Sword, Spear
::Nonweapon Proficiencies: Alertness, Animal Handling, Animal Training (Worg), Begging, Chanting, Close-Quarter Fighting, Fast-Talking, Fortune Telling, Hiding, Hunting, Information Gathering, Looting, Mining, Religion, Riding (Worg), Set Snares
</div></div>

===3e Stats===
In 3rd edition, goblins appeared as an NPC race in the [[Monster Manual]] and were made fully playable in [[Forgotten Realms: Races of Faerun]]. They were reprinted without change in a few books after that.

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<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
::-2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Charisma
::Small
::Humanoid ([[Goblinoid]])
::Base speed 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::+4 racial bonus on Move Silently and Ride checks
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Rogue]]
</div></div>

===4e Stats===
Like in 3e, the goblin appeared as a PC class in the [[Monster Manual]] for 4th edition. However, like all such races in 4e, its statblok there was...serviceable, but underwhelming. However, one of the last sourcebooks of that edition to be published, "The Dungeon Survival Handbook", brought them back as an official race, and boy were they beefy!

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<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
::+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom OR +2 Charisma
::Small
::Speed 6 squares
::Low-light vision
::+2 Bluff, +2 Stealth
::Goblin Reflexes: +1 to Reflex defense.
::Racial Power - Goblin Tactics: At will, as an immediate reaction to being missed by an enemy melee attack, you can shift 1 square.
</div></div>

The biggest boost that the DSHb gave, besides the flexible mental ability score boost, was a selection of racial feats and racial utility powers, both of which really strengthened the goblin's mechanics and thematics.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%"> Click "Expand" to see the list of goblin racial traits
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
''Goblin Racial Feats:''
* Ankle Biter: +1 feat bonus per tier to damage rolls vs. creatures larger than you, +1d6 damage on critical hits against creatures larger than you.
* Desperate Goblin Tactics: When bloodied, Goblin Tactics lets you shift 3 squares.
* Goblin Feint: When you use Goblin Tactics, you gain Combat Advantage against the triggering enemy until the end of your next turn.
* Shadowcreeper: Requires [[Assassin]] class. When you use Goblin Tactics, you shift 2 squares and gain Partial Concealment until the end of your next turn.
* Sneaky Stabber: Requires [[Rogue]] class. When you deal Sneak Attack damage to an adjacent foe, reroll any damage rolls of 1 until you get a result higher than 1.
* Wrist Biter: When you use Goblin Tactics, the triggering enemy takes 1d4 damage per your character's tier before you shift.

''Goblin Racial Utility Powers:''
* Fast Filch: At-will. When adjacent to a creature granting combat advantage, as a minor action, you can make a Thievery check to pick its pocket or perform sleight of hand. Level 2.
* Leg Up: Encounter. When adjacent to a creature, as a move action, you can jump your speed horizontally or up to 10 feet vertically. Level 2.
* Little Green Lie: Encounter. If you fail a Bluff, Diplomacy or Intimidate check, you can re-roll the check as a free action. If it was a Diplomacy or Intimidate check, you can use your Bluff modifier instead. Level 2.
* Living Shield: Encounter. If you are hit by an enemy melee or ranged attack whilst adjacent to an ally, as an immediate interrupt, you can shift 1 square and transfer the hit to that ally. Level 6.
* Unwitting Guardian: Encounter. When adjacent to a Medium or larger creature, as a move action, you can can shift 1 square to enter the target's space, occupying it until the end of your next turn and being hidden from all creatures except the target. Level 6.
* Down and Through: Encounter. As a move action, choose a Medium or larger enemy adjacent to you and shift up to 5 squares to a different square adjacent to that creature; you can move through its space during this shift. Level 10.
</div></div>

===5e Stats===
Finally, goblins appeared as a PC race in 5th edition's Volo's Guide to Monsters. Like their fellow [[goblinoid]]s, the [[kobold]], the [[orc]] and the [[Yuan-ti]], they were officially described as "unbalanced", which has earned a lot of fan flak, as this is literally an open invitation for more close-minded DMs to refuse goblin PCs - goblin fans are still hoping that WotC will eventually put out a splatbook with a "more official" and/or balanced version of goblin PC stats. Ironically, they were better off than the poor kobold.

Hopes of a reboot were shattered when the Guildmaster's Guide to [[Ravnica]] came out in November 2018; whilst earlier [[Plane Shift]] articles had presented an alternative goblin statblock, the GGR simply reprinted the Volo's Guide stats below.

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<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
::+2 Dexterity, +1 Constitution
::Small
::Speed 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::Fury of the Small: Once per short or long rest, when you inflict damage with an attack or spell on a creature larger than you, inflict bonus damage equal to your level as you attack from below, probably punching the enemy in the balls.
::Nimble Escape: You can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of your turns.
</div></div>

Surprisingly enough, after a second reprint in Eberron: Rising, the children’s “activity book” Adventure with Muk gave an alternative playable writeup, specifically for the Dankwood Goblins featured. All this does though is raise +1 Wis instead of +1 Con, and replaces Fury of the Small for the Forest Gnome’s Speak with Small Beasts, letting them communicate simple ideas to Small beasts and smaller. Which is nice for the utility, I guess.

As mentioned above, [[Plane Shift]] featured alternative goblin stats first - two separate versions, in fact. Whether they are better than the official versions is a matter of debate, though...

;[[Zendikar]]
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<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
::+2 Constitution
::Small
::Speed 25 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::Grit: You have Resistance to Fire and Psychic damage; your Unarmored AC is 11 + Dexterity modifier.
::Tribal Affinity: Choose either the Grotag Tribe (you have Proficiency in Animal Handling), the Lavastep Tribe (you have Advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made in rocky or subterranean environments) or the Tuktuk Tribe (you have Proficiency with Thieves Tools).
</div></div>

;[[Ixalan]]
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%"> Click "Expand" to see the statblock.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
::+2 Dexterity
::Small
::Speed 25 feet, Climb 25 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::Climber: You have a Climb speed of 25 feet if you are not encumbered or wearing either medium armor or heavy armor.
</div></div>

====3rd Party Settings====
;[[World of Farland]]
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<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
::Ability Score Increase: +2 Dexterity
::Size: Small
::Speed: 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::Goblin Proficiencies: You are proficient with the Scimitar, Shortbow, and Light Armor.
::Nimble Escape: This is basically the same as the trait of the same name from 5e canon, except this version can only be used once per short rest.
::Subrace: Choose the Urban Goblin or Subterranean Goblin.
</div></div>

''Urban Goblin''
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<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
::Ability Score Increase: +1 Constitution
::Urban Stealth: You have Proficiency in Stealth and apply twice your Proficiency bonus, rounded down, when making Stealth checks in Urban environments.
::Tenacious: After failing a saving throw, a skill check, or an ability check, you gain Advantage the next time that you make a save or check using that same ability score. This trait lasts until used or 24 hours have passed.
</div></div>

''Subterranean Goblin''
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<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
::Ability Score Increase: +1 Wisdom
::Dungeon Stealth: You have Proficiency in Stealth and apply twice your Proficiency bonus, rounded down, when making Stealth checks in subterranean environments.
::Pious: You have Proficiency in the Religion skill.
::Improved Darkvision: Your Darkvision increases to 120 feet.
</div></div>

===Pathfinder===
Of course the [[Pathfinder]] ruleset included Goblins, and tweaked them up a bit from their third edition version by giving them more dexterity. By Paizo's own reckoning, this puts their overall Race Points (RP) on a par with the other PC races, so should be a viable option for players, even if it is a bit uninspired.

Pathfinder did considerably more to support Goblins as a usable race, for both players and DMs. An entire splatbook was dedicated to their place in Golarion, while they were also included in the Advanced Race Guide and had additional options in the Monster Codex, allowing for a respectable variety in race trait customisations, giving them things like bite attacks, perceptions boosts, weapon familiarity, among others; the ability to create a medium-sized goblin who is not a [[Hobgoblin]] (their secret is morbid obesity); a bunch of racial feats; and a handful of dedicated class archetypes, including [[Alchemist]]s with [[Awesome|flying mount companions]].

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%"> Click "Expand" to see the stablock.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
::-2 Strength, +4 Dexterity, -2 Charisma
::Small
::Humanoid ([[Goblinoid]])
::Base speed 30 feet
::Darkvision 60 feet
::+4 racial bonus on Ride and Stealth checks
</div></div>

=[[Half-Goblin]]s=
Given the strong connections between goblins and [[orc]]s in some settings, particularly in [[Dungeons & Dragons]]' older editions, and the existence of [[half-orc]]s, one may ask if there's ever been any love give to half-goblins? Well, ironically, not really; though [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] claimed that [[goblinoid]]s interbred with each other and with orcs all the time, that fluff was lost after the change to 3rd edition, which wanted to try and make the two races distinct. As for goblin/human crossbreeding? Forget about it; they barely gave half-orcs any love, so you can imagine they'd be less than interested in half-goblins.

Except... there was one setting where [[goblinoid]]s took the place of orcs. In the [[Dragonlance]] setting, orcs don't exist, being replaced by goblins and [[draconian]]s, and so the half-goblin appeared there in 3.5's Races of Ansalon sourcebook. Surprisingly, they're known for both being very self-confident and assured (in fact, their Charisma penalty is described as stemming from coming across as ''too'' confident, making them seem overbearing or aggressive), in contrast to the propensity for wangsting endemic to half-orcs and half-elves in other settings, very brave (in contrast to the traditional goblin cowardice) and with a drive to be peacemakers and diplomats, rather like half-elves. Essentially, rather than bitching about being rejected by both worlds (human and goblin) or about the lack of a "true" half-goblin culture, half-goblins are near-universally driven to try and force the world to shape up and make a culture for them, by bringing goblins and humans to work together in peace. Which is actually kind of badass, and certainly a change from the norms for half-breeds. In essence, they're said to combine human ambition and drive with goblin ferocity and mob mentality.

Half-goblins are described as looking more or less like human-sized goblins; half-bugbears might be particularly hairy, and half-"common" goblins shorter than average, but still within the human stature. Although this stature can lead to them being mistaken for [[hobgoblin]]s, they apparently lack quite as many fangs and have more human-like eyes, which makes the difference obvious enough at a closer look.

=[[Magic: The Gathering]]=
{{Topquote|Goblins are eager to follow orders, especially when those orders involve stealing, hurting, annoying, eating, destroying or swearing.|''Krenko's Command'' flavour text}}

It should be no surprise that Goblins appear in Magic. Showing up in the very first set, Goblins have risen to be one of the most popular tribes in the game, and boy do they get a ton of support. They are known as the "characteristic" species of red, which means that they show up in pretty much every plane as the default red-aligned race. In fact, the number of planes in which goblins do not appear on can be counted on one hand. In general, when goblins show up, they are shown to be chaotic and unruly. They almost always have green or red skin, and travel in large groups, though this isn't always the case. On [[Ixalan]], they look more like monkeys with white fur and black skin, and tend to be individualistic. They love fire and scrapping together machines and weapons that should by no stretch of the means work, but they do. More often than not, these inventions require the sacrifice of another goblin to get it working properly.

As a tribe, goblins often have small bodies and weak frames. When they show up with high power, it's usually at the cost of toughness. They are cheap to get out onto the battlefield, cheap to search up, and attack fast. They are perfect for aggressive red strategies, and they often come with ways to dump out even more goblins out onto the field. This usually comes in the form of goblin creature tokens, but some of the most powerful goblins let you dump them straight from your hand! If you don't wipe the board, or take out the few key goblins holding the deck together, you can expect the battlefield to be swarming with the little guys, and you'll be losing fast.

Goblins aren’t always evil in MtG settings. Usually they’re more of a footnote that don’t even appear in any actual stories, and on cards they’re often portrayed as more destructive than outright evil; picture an entire race whose approach to warfare is indistinguishable from an audition for Jackass. There are occasional appearances of Goblins in less chaotic contexts such as Boros Recruit, which depicts a Goblin footman. Mirrodin offers the biggest example of a heroic Goblin, with the forest Elf main character of the first block having a companion named Slobad who was an elderly Goblin machinist.

=[[Mörk Borg]]=
The Goblins of Mörk Borg are all actually just individuals under the Goblin Curse, similar to Vampirism or Lycanthropy. If a Goblin stabs or bites someone, there's a good chance they'll transform into a Goblin too. Their faces are the same as a Goblin Shark's.

Summary
Goblins are cursed, low-statured individuals present everywhere in the dying world of MÖRK BORG. They are permanent slaves to a maddening mental curse that drives them to do terrible, greedy, cowardly things. They loathe the light, and live only to make more of their accursed kind.

Powers and Stats
Tier: 9-C

Name: Goblin, Seth

Origin: MÖRK BORG

Gender: Varies

Age: Varies

Classification: Transformed Human

Powers and Abilities: Peak Human Physical Characteristics, Damage Reduction (Has ropey skin which somewhat reduces impacts on it[1]), Curse Manipulation (Simply doing combat with a goblin is enough to inflict oneself with their Curse, which can only be undone by killing the goblin themselves), Madness Manipulation (Type 2, their curse inflicts the target creature with their racial madness), Weapon Mastery (Capable of wielding simple weapons with great proficiency, including large knives and shortbows), Small Size (Type 0), Biological Manipulation (Individuals who fight the goblins will irreversibly transform into one within days of the first encounter unless the goblin is slain), Body Puppetry (The mind is aware of the heinous acts performed by itself when they become a goblin, but is paralyzed, unable to stop)

Attack Potency: Street level (Capable of breaking bones and severing limbs[2])

Speed: Likely Average Human

Lifting Strength: Likely Average Human

Striking Strength: Street level

Durability: Street level

Stamina: Average

Range: Melee, up to tens of meters via bow

Standard Equipment: Large knife, shortbow, arrows

Intelligence: Unknown, likely varies, though they are irreversibly insane

Weaknesses: Totally insane
<gallery>
MörkBorgGoblin.png
GoblinMork.png
mork-borg-goblin.jpg
</gallery>

=[[Warcraft]]=

{{Topquote|Every great goblin invention was born from necessity, bubble gum, or an accident.|Goblin adage}}

Goblins are a staple race in the Warcraft franchise. They are green-skinned, very short, have long and strong fingers, beaky noses, large pointy ears, and sharp teeth.

In Warcraft 2, when the game expanded to more than just Humans, Orcs, Ogres, and Demons, Goblins were first mentioned. They were small mechanically-inclined lunatics who invented great devices and were god-tier chemists. They offered their services to the Horde since it gave them more opportunities to wreak havoc and the races that would come to be those of the Alliance had ignored them for their entire history. The Goblins mainly performed recon and VIP transport for the Horde via their Zeppelins, demolitions in the form of suicide Sapper squads, the invention of airtight missile-launching capsules that were tied to the backs of giant turtles to use as submarines, and finally experimenting on their Forest Troll allies to transform them into giant Berserkers. In secret they also helped the resident Sauron, an insane evil dragon named Deathwing, in his various endeavors. Goblins were described as insane, sadistic, and greedy for gold.

In Warcraft 3, Goblins became a neutral group. It was revealed only a small portion of the Goblin race actually worked with the Horde, while the others have always provided their services to anyone with gold to spend and after the fall of the first Horde they have enforced that their own race remain entirely neutral to all factions. They did little of importance other than provide transportation for the various power players in this time. When the second Horde was building their capital of Durotar, a small number of Goblins lead by world famous Gazlowe provided them with fair deals (which is itself a big deal for their race) for Goblin services including demolition.

In vanilla World of Warcraft, Goblin lore expanded even further; a small number of Goblins were seen in the Alliance, some among the Horde, while it was revealed almost the entirety of their race dwell on an island called Kezan which has a massive underground city called the Undermine. The Cartels run Kezan, the most powerful of which is the Steamwheedle Cartel which performs the basic services offered in Warcraft 3. They maintain a few cities around the world including Ratchet (Gazlowe's city nearby Durotar), Booty Bay (a port which services anyone who reaches it, mainly pirates although they are just as much at threat from pirate attack), Gadgetzan (a desert city of scum and villainy, plus a small gladiatorial arena), and Everlook (a town high in the mountains of Kalimdor nearby ancient magical Elf ruins).

Goblins have a racial rivalry with the other mechanically-minded race, [[Gnomes]], although hostility varies from giant robot wars to having a giant racetrack where they see which race can build the best vehicles to next-door neighbors who collaborate with each other on inventions and take any opportunity to try and make the other admit their philosophy is better. In general, the Goblin philosophy is "Chemicals, 50% chance of exploding is acceptable, build it fast, what we’re really here to make is big bucks people!" while the Gnomish philosophy is "Magic and radiation, 10% chance of turning anything from your hair a different color to your entire self into a chicken is acceptable, take your time and spend decades if need be, do it all for the love of knowledge and invention".

In Cataclysm, Goblins recieved a MAJOR update as they became a player race. One of the cartels which was one of the weaker ones (having their section of Kezan entirely on the surface, mainly producing pop culture, cars, sports, and edibles) joined the Horde after Deathwing set their portion of Kezan on fire (since in the middle of a not-football game a ball was kicked and hit him). Their trade prince sold the entire Cartel into slavery after charging them all their possessions for supposedly safe passage off the island, and the ships were caught in a naval battle between the Horde and Alliance. After conquering the island, they then joined the Horde which was in the middle of becoming a fascist genocidal dictatorship again thanks to shit leaders (also, their trade prince got to keep his job despite the mess he caused). They quickly upgraded the Horde from catapults to giant robots and from bow and arrow to machineguns, then created their own new capital by completely renovating a huge chunk of the continent into the symbol of the Horde complete with a Mount Rushmore of their racial leader. During the Kezan levels it was also revealed that Goblins have become multicultural, taking on things previously alien to them like worship of the light and shamanism (although the former is seen as a combination of medic and television evangelism, while the latter is perceived as cutting deals with nature). Kezan is very modern and has television, pop stars, sunglasses, champagne, fancy cars, neon lights, not-Chinese food, electricity and lightbulbs, and many other conveniences not seen elsewhere in the rest of the Renaissance setting outside the homeland of the Gnomes.

Goblin origins were also explained. In ancient times, Goblins were a semi-intelligent race of monkeys which were enslaved by Island Trolls and forced to mine a substance called Kajamite. Kajamite has a side-effect of causing a huge boost to intelligence (although not coherent thought) in anyone who imbibes it, and one day the Troll slavemasters entered the mines to whip their tiny laborers and were disintegrated with laser beams. Since then, the Goblins have mined Kajamite and used it as an ingredient in ingestibles of all kinds (including "Kaja-cola") although their supply was beginning to run out, and there was fear they may regress back to being mere monkeys without it. Like most Cataclysm plots, this was never brought up again, although there were hints that with the Kaja-cola that was left everywhere they go, that monkeys drinking it have started becoming intelligent as well.

Goblins in Warcraft 2 had extremely squeaky, high-pitched voices, and tended to babble or shriek. In Warcraft 3 the shrillness of the voice was lessened, and they became more calm and coherent. The Goblins in World of Warcraft still have a voice that is higher-pitched than a human, although only slightly more for males, while gaining something of an American Brooklyn accent. The non-Bilgewater Goblins still speak in their Brooklyn accent or a general American accent, whereas the Bilgewater Goblins speak like they're from New Jersey both in accent and expression.

<gallery>
Image:GoblinZeppelin.png|A Goblin Zeppelin pilot in Warcraft 2.
Image:GoblinSappers 2.jpg|Goblin Sappers in Warcraft 2.
Image:Goblin Sappers.jpg|Warcraft 3 Goblin Sappers.
Image:Goblin Tinker WX.png|Warcraft 3 Goblin Tinker.
Image:WoW Goblin Fem.jpg|World of Warcraft female Goblin player characters.
Image:Warcraft Goblin Player Male.jpg|World of Warcraft male Goblin player characters.
Image:GOBLINS AND GNOMES.jpg|Goblin/Gnome rivalry.
Image:Kezan.png|The Bilgewater portion of Kezan.
Image:Goblin Easter.png|Goblins are into holidays in a big way, either as a business conspiracy or over-enthusiasm.
Image:Goblin femSapper.jpg
</gallery>

=[[Goblin Slayer]]=

{{Topquote|Before the demons destroy the world, the goblins will destroy the villages. The world being in danger isn't an excuse to let the goblins live.|The slayer himself}}

[[Tucker's Kobolds|The said goblin in this manga while being a weak, tiny and barbaric humanoid is capable of many unorthodox tactics and teamwork that they could outplay and murder low level adventurers numerous times, whom the said adventurers underestimate the cunning goblins]]. They are barbaric primitives so they have to loot tools. However, they are capable of some degree of intelligence, like using signs like totems to create distractions as well as cover their weapons with urine and poisonous herbs to not only prevent adventurers from healing themselves, but also mark them with scents for goblins have an acute sense of smell. While they use mercenaries and pets such as wolves and orcs to further boost their effectiveness, the biggest contributors of their horde are their red shirt goblin goons, who are weak, small, but expendable and effective while attacking in groups. The horde is often led by a goblin mage that is capable of casting spells like fireball.

Oh, and this being Japan, they're sadists native to the moon who have only one gender and use females of other races to reproduce; given their brutal nature, it's done via rape. What the hell else would you read this shit for?

=Troll 2 Goblins=
The notorious movie Troll 2 infamously [[Irony|features no actual trolls]]<ref>Nor any connection to its purported prequel, ''Troll'' from 1986, which is a fascinatingly bad movie in itself. Troll 1 features a surprisingly strong cast and a pair of protagonists both named "[[Harry Potter]]" (Sr. and Jr.), among a great deal of other weirdness unrelated to its "sequels". Further, there have been ''two'' movies released as "Troll 3", neither of which has a [[troll]], nor much connection to either Troll 1 or 2 or each other (one purported Troll 3 features a "hobgoblin" and the other features killer trees). And then there was a semi-official sequel to Troll 2 called "Goblin 2" (Troll 2 being originally filmed under the title "Goblins") that actually featured a [[troll]] (and no actual goblins). But enough about other filmmakers' [[Pun|Trolling]] of audiences.</ref>. It instead features goblins (thus, its presence in this article), who live in the town of Nilbog ("Its Goblin backwards!"), and who, for the purposes of this movie, are vegetarian monsters who turn their human victims into plants via various potions and other concoctions. (The writer/director was an Italian with ''issues'', okay?)

That being said, the Troll 2 goblins are worth mentioning just because "vegetarian monsters who convert their prey into plants" is a fairly good line for "just how weird you can go with goblins", and also a good adventure seed that could be used for a minor [[World of Darkness]] mystery baddie.

=Monstergirl Depictions=
{{Monstergirls}}
[[Image:Goblin_Bar_Wench.png|thumb|200px|"Hey sugar, what'll you be having? Tonight's special is already served to your table."]]

{{Topquote|You can [...] design them so unexpectedly attractive that it'll make people question if they discovered a new fetish, or if it was there all along and this was just its awakening.|JoCat, ''A Crap Guide to D&D - Goblins''}}

Traditionally, the idea of goblins being [[monstergirls]] was something of a niche, at best; most thought of them as just hideous, stupid, filthy little monsters - who would want to put their dicks in that?

Ironically, it was [[Warcraft]] that probably first sowed the seeds of female goblins being fuggable; whilst the attractiveness of female goblins in that game is contentious, people must admit that they were better-looking than the tumor-riddled, snaggle-toothed, scarred abominations that made up the canon depictions of most goblins prior to that. They were certainly attractive enough to start scoring [[Rule 34]] artwork, and this became a revelation to fa/tg/uys: that goblin-girls did ''not'' have to be fugly!

From there, goblin-girls became an underground sensation, slowly developing and evolving in the steamier underbelly of /tg/ and on /d/ (or at least its "western counterpart" /aco/) until they have become as mainstream in the /tg/ fandom as any monstergirl has a chance of being. When brought up, expect the occasional joking argument on whether it should be standard for female goblins to be referred to as "goblettes".

Because goblins vary so widely in their depictions, it shouldn't be surprising that goblin-girls likewise have been a particularly fertile ground for interpretations. There are five "mainstream" depictions of the goblin-as-monstergirl you will probably encounter on /tg/, and many different sub-forms and cross-pollinations. All depend on which of the various "goblin aspects" a creator deigns to focus on; tinker skills, short-sighted hedonism, mischievousness, propensity towards rapaciousness, and/or fertility:

* The "Pervy Tinker" archetype directly traces its roots back to Warcraft's Rule 34'd goblins: this envisions goblins as a "techy" race with a strong lewd streak, leading to them focusing their mad science skills on coming up with newer and more deviant ways of getting off. Depending on the fundamental tech level of the setting and the creator's own tastes, this can range from aphrodisiac gas grenades and crystal-powered sybians, to [[golem]]s built as living sex engines, bimbofying/transforming [[magitek]] rayguns, and vat-grown tentacle monster pets. Rule 34 interpretations of World of Warcraft lore can be counted as this, as well as rare goblins in Corruption of Champions that are mentally stable enough to keep their panties on while in a lab.
* The "Shameless Slut" archetype likewise has its roots in Warcraft goblins, vis-a-vis their canonical obsession with money, but is perhaps one of the more widely known "generic" archetypes as well. These goblins are hedonists who take a great deal of pride in their libido and their love of pleasure, integrating with the other races and usually gravitating towards roles based on "entertaining"; from barmaids to outright prostitutes. In fact, they are often depicted as actively enjoying whoring themselves out, as it ensures a steady stream of partners and profit, whilst sating their perverse and degrading sexual desires. These goblin-girls are often size-queens, specifically choosing partners based on the stature of their masculine organs. The adult comic artist Incase is fond on this archetype, and might as well have codified it with his drawings.
* The "Mischief Maker" archetype is the most innocent of the archetypes; portraying goblins as just playful, fun-loving hedonists whose greatest aims in life are pranking, partying, and making love, not necessarily in that order. This archetype is the closest to a pornified parallel of the old "civil goblins are just green-painted Halflings/Gnomes" canard, as the latter two in porn tend to also be found in whimsical depictions of normalized-sex communes. These goblins are still generally less sentimental with their "free love" compared to them, but are significantly less transactional than the Shameless variety, and derive plenty of pleasure out of teasing their paramours.
* The "Savage Slut" archetype is perhaps the oldest of the archetypes, as it owes its origins to the original interchangeability of goblin and [[orc]]. These goblins are basically sexy "savages"; wild and primal little monstergirls who live a primitive lifestyle centered on hunting, playing, and of course capturing & having sex with men. Essentially, this depicts goblins as [[shortstack]] or [[loli|"a loophole for masturbating to underage children"]] orcs. Kenkou Cross' Monster Girl Encyclopedia is squarely focused on this aspect.
* The "Breederphile" archetype is, in comparison, probably the youngest of these archetypes. These goblins are defined by their racial pregnancy fetishism, and by having bodies almost literally built to breed. Being impregnated is intensely orgasmic, pregnancy either fills them with bliss, makes them incredibly horny, or both, birth is a series of some of the most intense orgasms of their lives, and social standing revolves around how many daughters they have to boss around. {{BLAM|+++...SCANNING...+++}} {{BLAM|+++Congratulations Neophyte, you have just weathered the single worst psychic assault a slaaneshi daemon is capable of unleashing; you may now be promoted into the ranks of the [[Grey Knights]].+++}} This archetype does make some sense if you think about it: after all, as a 'cannon fodder' species for PCs, where do all the Goblins come from? Corruption of Champions might as well have pioneered this archetype.
* The "Ghetto Goblin", while not part of the "five aspects" breakdown, has a decent-sized backlog of smut and is unique enough to be worth an honorable mention. This variant of goblin-girl portrayal is native to [[Urban Fantasy]] settings. Mostly played as a watered-down mix of the "Shameless Slut" and "Breederphile" archetypes (the "water" in this case being some occasionally-awkward racial coding), Ghetto Goblins tend to be used as an attempt at a less-overtly-offensive repackaging of old "hot-blooded Latina" or "Ghetto Black Girl" racial stereotypes in that they are: sexually open, tend toward foul language and fiery tempers when angry and lewd vocalizing or body-language when aroused or teasing others, frequently dressed provocatively, and very often have a pronounced species/raceplay kink. While breeding for the Ghetto Goblin isn't usually as erotic as it is for the Breederphile, the social status of the Ghettoblin is often measured by how many offspring they have, how often they have sex, and how early they first had sex. They arouse easily, to the point that human men in their stories often need to talk Ghetto Goblins out of outright molesting them openly in public, not helped by the often-added detail of humans and goblins being very sensitive to each other's pheromones. As you can imagine, this is mostly a niche community depiction. More precisely, it was codified and achieved popularity on [[/aco/]] based almost entirely on the output of one prolific writefag.

Whilst these archetypes are certainly well known and defined, there are also two setting-specific depictions of goblin monstergirls that have achieved enough recognition to be recognizable by name; the MGE Goblin and the CoC Goblin.

The [[Monster Girl Encyclopedia]] depiction of the goblin is essentially a mashup of the Mischief Maker and the Savage Slut archetypes. These primitive mamono live in tribal clusters, entertaining themselves by playing pranks on each other or the races around them, hunting game, and conducting banditry for fun, profit, and boyfriends. In appearance, they resemble pointy-eared human [[loli]]s with horns and superhuman strength, allowing them to fight with weapons that only a strong human man would normally have a chance of lifting. Simple-minded and carefree, they have no intention of giving up the lifestyle they so enjoy.

The CoC Goblin takes its name from Corruption of Champions, a [[/d/|hentai]] fantasy text adventure game that was popular on /tg/ for a while, before the fact that [[furries]] are much more willing to put money where their mouth is when it comes to getting fetishistic shit done led to the inevitable flooding of the game with [[beastfolk]] waifus and encounters and /tg/ promptly banished it. Still, before it went under, it had a significant impact on the goblin-girl arena: CoC may not have created the idea of the Breederphile archetype, but it certainly brought it to the attention of what passes for /tg/ mainstream. CoC's goblins are Breederphiles who became a pregnancy-obsessed all-female race due to succubus-corruption in their water supply. Once a brilliant race of alchemists and inventors, they have since devolved into a Savage Slut culture, living in crude tribes based on a massively curvy matriarch, her husband(s), and as many daughters as she can make who are willing to stick around - whilst goblins are fiercely competitive with each other, there is also safety in numbers, keeping them from being eaten by [[hellhound]]s or raped/beaten to death by [[minotaur]]s. Such clans are often notably inbred, for their corruption means they have little sense of objection to incest, with only the matriarch's jealous possessiveness in regards to her husband keeping her daughters at bay. They're also examples of the Pervy Tinker archetype, using what remains of their former knack for invention to create sex toys and perverse alchemical concoctions for use in subduing husbands and molding them to their liking.

One memorable goblin monstergirl is Zanik from [[RuneScape]]. Zanik is a badass female goblin adventurer who is the star of one of the game's major story arcs, wherein she helps the player save her tribe of technologically advanced goblins from a KKK-like cult of racist humans and then from an evil god of war who wants to take back control of her tribe. Fans of the game were so mad when the developers killed her off unfairly (and also gave her a graphical update that made her extra-ugly) that they later brought her back with a cuter redesign (though now fans gripe her new look is ''too'' cute, or more precisely cute''sy'').

Incidentally, one of the first modern references to a sexy Goblin monster girl may be, of all things, a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NwPJo4ysXI Frank Zappa song].

<gallery>
Image:Cute_Goblin_Adventurer.jpg
Image:Goblin_Dancer.jpg
Image:Goblin_Adventurer_1.png
Image:Goblin_Monk_1.jpg
Image:Goblin_Shamaness_1.jpg
Image:Goblin_Shamaness_2.jpg
File:MGE Goblin.jpg|When Lolis go after predators.
File:ZanikFanRedesign.jpeg|Zanik's graphical overhaul was so bad one dude decided to [[Get shit done|salvage it himself]].
</gallery>

=Gallery=
<gallery>
Image:Sneaky Goblin.gif
Image:Goblin Knight.JPG|A more "player character" variety.
Image:GreenGoblin3.jpg|Most goblins tend to [[Alchemist|throw pumpkin bombs]] and use flying crafts to annoy [[/co/|superheroes]].
</gallery>

=See also=
* [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition races]]
* [[Unified Setting/Goblins]] Yet another take on a classic concept.
* [[Goblin Slayer]], a man with a serious beef against goblins.
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqx4ywmqYUw The most common reaction to Goblins]
* [[Goblinoid]], for the extended goblin family.
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLLHu8qtxjg Rare footage of a Goblin ritual. Purpose unknown.]

{{D&D1e-Races}}
{{D&D2e-Races}}
{{D&D4e-Races}}
{{D&D5e-Races}}
{{Pathfinder-Races}}
{{Starfinder-Races}}
[[Category:Kings of War]][[Category:Monsters]]
[[Category: Goblin]]

Craventhrone Guard

2023-06-08T11:46:10Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

{{AoS-Stub}}
{{NeedsImages}}
{{Topquote|AND I'M STILL GETTING SHOTS LIKE IT'S {{BLAM|BOOM HEADSHOT}}|FPS Doug-Pure Pwnage Episode 3}}
<i><span style="color:#67fdc6">STOP STEALING MY FUCKING KILLS YOU SWEATY TRYHARDS!!!</span></i>
<br> - <i>Kurdoss supernaturally malding as he always does.</i>
[[File:Craventhrone-Guard-2.webp|thumb|WH47 4r3 Y0U 60NN4 D0 WH3N W3 C0M3 F0r Y0U?!?]]
[[Kurdoss Valentian|Kurdoss]] is a pathetic being, damned to never hold any true "ruling" power, (as a combatant he's quite powerful, what with being "technically" second in command of the [[Nighthaunt]].) [[Nagash]]'s curses, near-constant verbal and physical CBT from [[Lady Olynder]] as well as the [[Dohohoho|vicious]] [[Vicious Mockery|mockery]] by his [[Statler&Waldorf|two attendants]] lead him only able to derive any sort of pleasure from his unlife by taking the lives of the living and similarly cursing them as well to eternal torment.

[[FAIL|Well]]... he almost does.

You see, believe it or not, Kurdoss is a pretty important part of the Nighthaunt, and is thusly protected by a crack team of bodyguards. ''Very'' good bodyguards. Bodyguards that are so good they won't let their "king" sully his hands with killing his opponents. [[Troll|That's right]], Kurdoss is constantly surrounded by an entire entourage of [[Galactic Partridges|kill-stealing elite snipers]]. Every time Kurdoss is on the verge of finishing off an opponent, be it a simple peon or even the enemies leader themself, at the moment of the kill the glory & satisfaction that would come with it, is [[troll|dragged away kicking and screaming]] with a spectral bolt to the head, as one of his bodyguards kills them with unerring accuracy. It doesn't matter if Kurdoss himself is between them and the target, they'll simply shoot through the throne, like some sort of ghost John Wick.

So in yet another sick twist of fate, the only beings in the Nighthaunt that genuinely care for him and his safety are the source of his greatest pain. Better luck next time, man.

==On The Tabletop==

{{Nighthaunt-Units}}
[[Category:Nighthaunt]]

Cities of Sigmar

2023-06-08T11:45:39Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Cities of Sigmar|Logo=Empire.jpg|Alliance=Order|Motto=For the <s>Empire</s> God-King!}}

{{Topquote|Unity is strength...when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.|Mattie Stepanek}}

The '''Cities of Sigmar''', also known as the '''Free Cities''', '''Azyrites''', or the '''Island of Misfit Toys''', are essentially the “normal” people of the Mortal Realms under Sigmar's rule, although a minority of each realm's population when compared with the vast amounts of Chaos worshippers, Greenskins or undead. That said, they are probably the most numerous representatives of the Grand Alliance of Order.

More specifically they're a collection of [[Stormcast Eternals|Humans who haven't become immortal due to having lightning jammed up their ass]], [[Fyreslayers|Duardin who don't go into battle half naked and on fire]] or [[Kharadron Overlords|live in steampunk sky cities]], and Aelves who don't [[Idoneth Deepkin|live underwater and eat souls]], don't come from a [[Daughters of Khaine|misandric mutant murdercult]] or aren't made of [[Lumineth Realm-Lords|light, math and a whole lot of aetherquartz-snorting]]. Sadly, they're seriously lacking in [[Seraphon|Aztec Dinosaurs and their Toad Wizard masters]] as well as [[Sylvaneth|immortal tree hiveminds]].

Each City itself is MASSIVE, comprised of numerous districts and subcultures, to the point where some could be considered their own nations. While each City maybe known for a particular thing, it is very likely that there is an aspect of each race active in every city.

==History==

===Origins===
The story of how humans, Duardin (dwarves) and Aelves (elves) of various allegiances and creeds are somehow living together in massive cities without murderising each other is a long and expansive story that traces its way back to the closing days of the Age of Myth. Right before Chaos kicked in the proverbial door and began running rough shod across the Realms, the various mortal races lived in their respective golden ages. With the help of primarily Grungni, Teclis and Alarielle, Sigmar established countless human kingdoms and cities, with innovation, learning and cultural development blossoming at an exponential rate. The Duardin had a healthy relationship with humans as always, with a portion living alongside them, but most still taking up residence in their mountain fortresses or splitting off as the newly emerged children of Grimnir, the Fyreslayers. The Aelves enjoyed a resurgence from their initially minuscule numbers when discovered by Sigmar and began to slowly thrive once again when the various Aelven gods joined the pantheon and began the work to restore their race to its former glory.

Of course, all of this was not to last once Chaos got wise to what was going on in the Mortal Realms. The Gods of Chaos began to secretly bore their way into the kingdoms, cities and tribes across the Realms, slowly influencing portions of the population with promises of power and immortality, and piece by piece sowing discord. When the time came to strike, the Mortal Realms were taken completely by surprise and nearly buckled under the sudden upheaval. However, the armies of Order managed to rally and held the forces of Chaos at bay for a time...That is until Archaon made his entrance into the Realms. The forces of Order began to falter and little by little they gave ground to the ever-intensifying onslaught. The final blow for Order came at the Allpoints, at the disastrous confrontation that became known as the Battle of the Burning Sky. Here, the gods of Order fractured through betrayal, panic and mistrust and by the end of the slaughter Sigmar had lost Ghal Maraz, his pantheon and the most strategically important location in all the Mortal Realms. Thus, the Age of Myth came to a catastrophic end, bringing forth the Age of Chaos.

===Exodus===
With the Allpoints granting the armies of Chaos access to all of the Mortal Realms save Azyr, it did not take long for their ravenous hordes to overrun the land. The following collapse of civilization across the Realms can only be described as not falling apart but disintegrating in its own terror.

The last of the Duardin Karaks in Chamon were overrun as the forces of Tzeentch swept across the land, the survivors reluctantly fleeing to the Gates of Azyr, with a small contingent escaping to the highest peaks of the Realm of Metal to an [[Kharadron Overlords|uncertain fate]]. Many Duardin Kings, prideful and stubborn in their sense of honor, refused to evacuate and chose to remain in their Holds, sealing their fate when the doors to Azyr were finally sealed. It is said that Grungni cried tears of molten lead when he saw how few of his children had managed to escape. Thus, the Dispossessed came to be.

The Aelven devotees of Alarielle desperately held on with their Sylvaneth comrades as Nurgle's rot and pestilence began to seep into Ghyran. However, as the Sylvaneth groves outside the Realm of Life began to be wiped out, their numbers and their reinforcements began to dwindle. As their defenses reached the breaking point, the Aelves had to make a choice; either stay with their beloved Goddess and her children and face almost certain annihilation, or abandon them in their direst hour and try to flee to Azyr before the gates closed. They chose the latter, and from that day the Sylvaneth have never fully forgiven the Wanderers for their abandonment.

All the remaining human, duardin and aelf empires that were not already destroyed or besieged made a beeline toward any realmgates to Azyr that were still open. Many didn't survive the journey, being butchered by chaos armies along the way. Many others however managed to reach Azyr and safety, others were unfortunately stranded in the other realms when Sigmar finally closed the gates as the forces of Chaos were getting too close to breaching them. These unfortunate souls either [[Slaves to Darkness|swore fealty to Chaos in return for their lives]], died fighting against the marauding hordes or were forced to adopt a nomadic lifestyle for the remainder of the Age of Chaos, always on the run or in hiding from the legions of Chaos. This wasn't the end of tribulations for the survivors who have reached Azyr however. Chaos cultists and double agents had managed to slip into Azyrheim among the refugees, forcing Sigmar's witch hunters to root them out (lethally, and often with collateral damage). Around this time the Aelven order of the Shadowblades is believed to have first become active, systematically purging Azyr further of potential threats to Sigmar's rule.

Sigmar realized that many of the refugees themselves, having malice or deception in their hearts, could be susceptible of falling to Chaos in the future. This moved the God-King to take the uneasy task of leading a mass purge of many of the peoples that had fled to Azyr. Countless supposedly innocent souls that Sigmar deemed corruptible were slaughtered by the agents of Azyr, even those that could be suspected of treachery were not spared. Only after this extermination campaign did Sigmar deem that Azyr was safe from further corruption. Whether he did the right thing or not is up for debate, but the fluff continuously mentions that Azyr was the only Mortal Realm free from the taint of Chaos.

For the next 500 or so years the peoples of Azyr went along with their lives, but whether they be from the various cultures of the armies of the Free Guilds or the Sinister Knights of the Order Serpentis, they now all shared a united goal: rebuild their forces for a counter-invasion against Chaos. After centuries of preparation and having the Stormcast Eternal infrastructure mostly finished, the various armies of Azyr were ready to reopen the realmgates and retake their ancient territories. For many this was indeed almost a relief, as while Azyr was definitely a better place to live than any of the other Mortal Realms, life under Sigmar's rule wasn't all perfect. Sigmar, fearing potential Chaos infiltration, kept a rather draconian amount of control on the various cities and settlements in Azyr. From constant fear of the Order of Azyr and potential knives in backs from the Shadowblades, not to mention strict legal codes, many of the peoples from the other realms chafed somewhat in this highly ordered society so when offered a chance to retake their old homes, many were happy to give it a try.

===Reconquest===
With Sigmar's Tempest opening the Gates of Azyr, what followed was a massive undertaking as the combined might of all the peoples of Azyr began preparations for Sigmar's reconquest of the Realms. The sheer level of planning, logistics, training and dealmaking that went down in this period cannot be understated. Whether it was noble families looking to reclaim their ancestral homelands, outcasts going to wherever offered for a fresh start, or perhaps a deal made between various parties for certain benefits in the reclaimed territories in exchange for assistance. The Regiments of the Freeguild were raised and assigned to accompany settlers to their new homes in the Realms. Duardin of the Ironweld Guilds and the Dispossessed Clans offered up their expertise in engineering as well as firepower, often in exchange for trading or mining rights in the charted territories. Wanderer Enclaves saw much demand for their knowledge of scouting the wilderness, and in turn requested territory to settle and roam freely in.

The initial areas for the first cities formed around the Stormkeeps established by the Stormcast Eternals after the Realmgate Wars. From these initial settlements cities began to form around them. One obvious example being Hammerhal, which would go on to be the largest city and defacto capital of Sigmar’s growing empire. Other cities were subsequently founded usually near realmgates or areas of great strategic/economic importance (i.e. Hallowheart, Tempest's Eye, Excelsior and Vindicarum). The Living City was established sometime later by Allarielle herself after great victories against Nurgle’s forces and stands as a testeament to her renewed alliance with Sigmar. Later would come the establishment of industrial hub Greywater Fastness would become a seat for many of the Ironweld and Disspossesed clans, and Phoenicium, one of few Aelf dominated Cities of Sigmar. These expansions did not come easy however. Millions gave their lives in their foundation and the subsequent wars to maintain these great bastions.

Roughly 100 years after the Stormcast Eternals first set down in the Realms, these initial cities have greatly expanded upon themselves, managing to carve out their own territories in the Realms. However even with all this, much of the realms have not yet been liberated. It is estimated barely a tenth of the pre-Age of Chaos territory has been reclaimed thus far, with the rest either unclaimed wild lands, heavily contested or held by the forces of Chaos, Destruction or Death. Due to this, the cities must fight hard for any territorial gains they can manage, along with sending colonists (both willing and otherwise) out to found new cities.

These cities tend to be on frontier zones, forcing them to often deal with heavier chaos, death or destruction incursions, along with the deadly native wildlife or even native peoples who aren't necessarily happy with newcomers trying to colonize their ancestral lands that they defended all through the Age of Chaos. In fact, an unfortunate result of this has been the occasional Stormcast or Freeguild force having to do the uncomfortable task of subjugating or even wiping out native tribes that refuse to compromise on these cities’ foundings. Some examples of these frontier cities include Anvilgard in Aqshy, which has quickly amassed a dark reputation from its internal dealings, or Izalend in Ghur which has to be on constant alert due to the dangerous area it inhabits. Not all of these frontier cities survive, most are either destroyed from invaders or some other calamity and must be abandoned. More than one city has suffered this fate since the first cities were established.

However many others continue to prosper and continue to expand their territory to slowly retake the realms from Chaos' grasp. Due to the dangerous nature of the realms, the mere act of traveling can be dangerous. Thus while all cities are nominally under Sigmar’s domain, many often have to rely on governing themselves for the most part, as communication with the capital Hammerhal can be slow and unreliable and Stormcast sometimes not being able to lend assistance due to being stretched thin expanding the God-King’s borders. Many have to establish their own form of government and trade zones. All cities follow the government structure laid out by Azyrheim, however many make variations to how a city’s government is made up and how they conduct warfare due to local stigmas and situations. This leads to each city developing unique cultural identities, and since not all cities actively coordinate with each other, entire wars and new city foundings can occur without some nations even being aware of it, even if they are technically on the same faction. This is why organizations such as the Swifthawk Agents are so important to the cities, as speedy communication can often mean the difference between annihilation and salvation for threatened cities.

===Broken Realms===
Two free cities played an important part in [[Morathi]]’s ploy for godhood. Misthåvn lent its Black Ark fleets to defend the High Oracle from retaliating Idoneth Deepkin and Hedonites of Slaanesh while she enacted her ritual to reach godhood. As expected though, the Scourge Privateers were merely pawns to Morathi, and to their credit they recognized this and split the second things looked dire. The second city was Anvilgard, where the now goddess Morathi-Khaine made her appearance to the ruling council of the city. She coerced the local Darkling Covens and other “dark aelves” to overthrow their masters, leading to Morathi’s annexation of the city and renaming it to Har Kuron. Sigmar did of course learn about this deceit and was just about to besiege the city and reclaim it when Morathi parlayed with the Celestant-Prime, who was leading this effort. What they agreed upon is unclear, but the conquest was not reversed, forcing the remnants of Anvilgard's forces to flee as their city became Morathi's new kingdom.

In Hysh, Settler’s Gain was ground zero for Nagash’s assault against the Lumineth Realm-Lords, sending spectral waves of Nighthaunt to crash against the city’s defenses. They were only saved when [[Teclis]] arrived and restored life to the Nighthaunt while they were flying [[Grimdark|so they would die again when they fell back down.]] Later on, the city supplied a battery of Luminarks and Hurricanums in the final duel between Teclis and Nagash, their magical attacks distracting the great necromancer just enough for the mage god and his mountain spirit allies to win the day and reverse the effects of the Necroquake.

Vindicarum was besieged by the forces of [[Be'lakor]] shortly after the First Prince collapsed every Realmgate in Chamon and released dark storms of chaos energy. The siege was a brutal affair that decimated the Hallowed Knights and Celestial Vindicators stormhosts, which was exactly what [[Be'lakor]] wanted. He didn’t want to conquer the city, but to raze it and send its occupants’ souls into the Realm of Chaos where eternal torture awaited them. That's right, the main-character Sigmarines had their effective immortality stripped away. It took the combined fleets of every Kharadron skyport led by the mysterious white-bearded Duardin called Gromthi. The First Prince was repelled...but at a heavy cost. Vindicarum’s population was obliterated, Chamon is now separated from the other Realms, and the dark chaos storms that loomed over the lands were growing.

The Ghurish city of Excelsis suffered a Tzeentchian demonic plot which inspired anti-magical sentiment and gave rise to a magic-hating Sigmarite cult. Then the Newborn twins of Slaanesh subverted the cult by playing on its leader's personal hatred of elves, culminating in a pogrom against elves that caused the survivors to leave Excelsis, while the slaughtered elves unwittingly became sacrifices to summon the two Newborn and an army of Slaanesh daemons into the city. The twins also got the Skaven to set up the sacrifices and undermine the city further. And then the newly awakened god of Earthquakes [[Kragnos]] coerced [[Godrakk]] into his service and led an entire army of Destruction towards the city. The only thing that stopped them from stomping the city flat is the arrival of Lord Kroak, the banishment of the demonic twins and the unexpected arrival of a Black Ark with the newly ascended goddess [[Morathi]]. She tracked down [[Lord Kroak]] while he tried to help the city with his magic and the two of them managed to trick Kragnos into going through a portal that drops him on the far side of Ghur and allowed the defenders to finally force the besiegers out of the city.

===Era of the Beast===
Kragnos’ awakening sent shockwaves of bestial energy all across the Mortal Realms, spurring equally violent reactions as well. Tempest’s Eye is besieged by the haphazard warp-blimps and lightning barges of Skaven [[Clan Shyvik]]. The sheer scale of this attack destroyed two levels of the city’s infrastructure as war is continually waged on rubble strewn streets and smoke filled sky.

==Subfactions==
The Cities of Sigmar are by their nature cosmopolitan places, as many different cultures across the realms fled to Azyr only to recolonize the lands when the Age of Sigmar arrived. As such, when war comes they have a vast diversity of military forces.

*'''[[Stormcast Eternals]]''': Yes, they're here too. Most Free Cities are built around a Stormkeep, and many are named after their founding Stormhost (Hammers of Sigmar in Hammerhal, Anvils of the Heldenhammer in Anvilgard, etc.). Have a bad habit of going too far when trying to purge Chaos from the city, leading to anti-Stormcast resentment, which in turn leads to more purges. But in the nicer cities like Brightspear they can be [[Salamanders|pretty chill and hang around with civillians]].
*'''Freeguild''': The core of the old [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|Empire]]'s forces, chiefly soldiers and Demigryphs. They are the standing armies and militias of the Cities, each descended from twelve military companies that originally fled to Azyr. A City can possess multiple Freeguilds, each one with their own specialties and strategies in warfare, making them sorta like the Imperial Guard for AoS. Lore mentions that their ranks include Duardin and Aelves as well, meaning you easily use squatted High Elf/Dwarf units as proxy Freeguild units (Swordmasters as Greatswords, Thunderers as Handgunners, etc).
*'''Devoted of Sigmar''': The Old "Church of Sigmar" faction now reduced to only the [[flagellant]] and Excelsior Warpriest. It’s incorporated into the city with quite some critical roles. Priests of Sigmar tend to the moral and spiritual health of the human population, and when an internal threat arises, it is the work of the witch hunters from the Order of Azyr to root it out, while flagellants have to process around the city countryside, spilling their blood to destroy the chaos corruption in the land and let the city expand.
*'''Dispossessed''': Duardin who have lost their old Karaks in the Age of Chaos and have to live with the umgi and elgi now. Their primary goal in the greater Cities is providing defensive fortifications for the other factions, using their legendary shield walls and stubbornness to hold the line at all costs.
*'''Collegiate Arcane''': All the Empire's Wizards, including their giant engines. Sadly, no High Elf wizards made the cut, nor did their dragons. They are essentially a souped up version of the Colleges of Magic, comprised of powerful Battlemages who have trained for decades in eight floating towers called the Towers of the Eight Winds (I see what you did there GW), each one focused on a certain Realm’s variety of magic. However, humans are no longer restricted to one color only and can learn all, in particular a Battlemage spending a decade in each is deemed a Grandmaster who is licensed to create new spells and magical items. The Grandmasters built a specialist sub order named the Order of the Chained Flame that functions as a bounty board that hands out Spell Hunter licenses to those who dispel and capture rogue Endless spells.
*'''[[Ironweld Arsenal]]''': All the Dwarf and Empire war machines and vehicles. This includes letting people ride those tanks. It was revealed that they can build some really freaking badass shit nowadays, like a fortress with legs that was so powerful in the Morathi book that it decimated hundreds of dark aelves and almost won the battle single handedly. It's not a one-off either, they're called cogforts and the Ironweld Arsenal has cranked out a lot of them.
*'''Darkling Covens''': Cults of Sorceresses and their brainwashed Aelven minions. Rumored to have brainwashed more than just aelves so they can secretly manipulate cities from the shadows.
*'''Phoenix Temple''': Yes, these silent dead 'ard bastards are still around. They now worship the Ur-Phoenix instead of Asuryan. They were once broken Aelves (physically or mentally broken) who received the healing warmth of a phoenix, thus they were reborn as devout warrior monks. Members can come from any Aelven faction, there are even some Phoenix Guard who were former Daughters of Khaine.
*'''Order Serpentis''': An ancient order of tyrannical dragon-riding Aelf knights who lost most of their dragons in the Age of Chaos. Undaunted by this, they started hiring Sorceresses of the Darkling Covens to genetically engineer hideous part-dragon monsters to act as replacements.
*'''Wanderers''': Nomadic wood aelves from Ghyran who fled to Azyr. Upon returning they seek to restore balance to the nature they abandoned. While Alarielle eventually forgave them, many of their Sylvaneth allies despise them as traitors. Their role in the CoS army is to be pathfinders and vanguard forces, scouting ahead of the main fighting bulk to chart secure passages.
*'''Shadowblades''': Secretive Aelf assassins who worship Malerion and usually function as a secret police force within the cities.
*'''Scourge Privateers''': Descendants of a cruel slaver empire that once terrorized the seas. Now that they have to coexist with the civilians they once preyed upon, they cooled down a bit and became beast tamers who regularly hunt monsters and then sell them (whole or in pieces) to their allies. Still enjoy doing shady pirate stuff under the books, though (not that anyone is complaining when its fucking Chaos scum who are on the receiving end of it for once). They still live on Black Arks, much like their Old World counterparts, except these Arks are made from binding together the bones and shells of colossal sea creatures or built upon their backs.

==Relations with Other Order Factions==
While not part of the Cities of Sigmar allegiance, almost every Order race tends to have some sort of outpost or embassy in the Free Cities. If not, they’re still likely to have a relationship to them given the Free Cities’ nature as safe havens for the enemies of Chaos.
*'''Daughters of Khaine''': The Daughters of Khaine host temples in every major City. While they're subject to all sorts of (entirely justified) rumors about dark blood rituals, they're tolerated due to being formidable allies in the war against Chaos. When not at war they perform gladiatorial games and blade dances to simultaneously praise Khaine and entertain the masses. Of the various sects, the Draichi Ganeth, who look down upon the subterfuge and deception of their sisters, are the most commonly seen. They are known to the Freeguilds as the Executioners Cult due to their blunt and forward style of combat, as well as their penchant for decapitation. But word's starting to get around about what Morathi did to Anvilgard, eroding peoples' tolerance of them.
*'''Kharadron Overlords''': Kharadron Overlords are an important part of the economy for the Cities of Sigmar. With travel over land being incredibly dangerous due to the hordes of chaotic marauders, deathly thralls, and destructive hooligans, airships are the most efficient way to trade between cities, and while the Cities of Sigmar have their own airships, they're nowhere near as good as the Kharadron's. The Kharadron for their part look down on the Cities of Sigmar as being primitive rubes, and only sell them their most outdated technology (which is still more advanced than the average thing the Ironweld Arsenal makes). That said, the Kharadron's tendency towards ruthless profiteering, egregious rules-lawyering and close-minded secularism has created tension between them and the Free Peoples.
*'''Seraphon''': The Fangs of Sotek Seraphon often end up setting up embassies in the Cities of Sigmar. When they're around, often people turn up mysteriously dead, with the investigation discovering the victims were secret Chaos cultists. These vigilante killings are inevitably blamed upon the Daughters of Khaine. Their enigmatic nature has seen most people default to wary respect around them.
*'''Fyreslayers''': Fyreslayers often set up local branches of their Lodges in Free Cities to offer their services as mercenaries. In addition to being hired by the City itself, they're also commonly hired by merchants; as already mentioned, travel over land is incredibly dangerous, so if you are forced to do it you're gonna need a regiment of angry pyromaniac dorfs and their giant lava-blooded lizards to protect your caravan.
*'''Sylvaneth''': The forest folk who are willing to work with quick-bloods will establish embassies in the free cities. Said embassies appear as small woodland groves or parks, where the Sylvaneth presumably keep a scrutinizing eye on anyone who ventures too close. In general the people of Free Cities have mixed feelings about the Sylvaneth, but avoid hostility towards them except in Greywater Fastness.
*'''Lumineth Realm-Lords''': In their stalwart quest to defeat Chaos at all costs, the scions of Tyrion and Teclis are coldly pragmatic towards the Free Cities. Small cities are in danger of being completely wiped off the map if the Realm-Lords need its territory for some rune carving or part of some other larger plan against Chaos. The larger ones (or the ones they can’t nuke) are simply seen as primitive strongholds by the Lumineth and could really benefit from their guiding light. Understandably, this makes many of the Hysh Aelves rather unwelcome among the Cities of Sigmar.

==Notable Cities==
===With rules===
*'''Hammerhal''': Hammerhal is technically two cities, Hammerhal Ghyra and Hammerhal Aqsha, linked as one by the Stormrift Realmgate. The Ghyran side exports crops and lumber to Aqshy, and lava is channeled from the Aqshy side to form a protective moat. As it is home to the Hammers of Sigmar, [[Ultramarines|GREATEST OF THEM ALL]] among stormhosts, so too do the people of Hammerhal seek to prove themselves as the most eminent of the Free Cities. The Cadia and Ultramar of the Cities.
*'''Greywater Fastness''': Despite hailing from the Realm of Life, this city is pretty choked with smoke and industry, as they focus heavily on war machines. Literally the entire outer regions of the city are just glorified testing grounds for their weapons, riddled with craters and no vegetation aside from withered skeletal trees. This makes them rather friendly towards the [[Kharadron Overlords]], but not so much with the [[Sylvaneth]]. They were nearly starved out by the Sylvaneth until Alarielle herself arranged a compromise, and she only tolerates them because they hate Chaos and are great at bombarding them back to the Warp. What few people know though is that the city’s lead designer, Valium Maliti, is actually the Changeling in disguise, and purposely created this industrial wasteland in Ghyran to cause tension between the Sylvaneth and Sigmar.
*'''Anvilgard''': [https://youtu.be/SYExETbLL1E?t=84 In a nutshell, basically.] Port city in Aqshy by a constantly erupting volcano and a constantly burning-down-but-rapidly-regrowing jungle. To hold off the jungle from reclaiming the city's territory, they spray mass amounts of basically weedkiller everywhere (which doesn't seem - thus far - to have any long-term consequences on people), which covers the city in a gloomy grey atmosphere. Y'know, the kind of shadows where criminal syndicates thrive - and thrive they do. As in, anyone who's anyone has underworld connections, though it's kept just enough on the down-low so Lord-Veritants and other inquisitorial types don't raise a stink. In recent years, [[Morathi]] has annexed it (renaming it to '''Har Kuron'''), splitting the frontier city in half between those who sided with the [[Daughters of Khaine]] and everyone else who remained loyal to Sigmar. Sigmar learned of the treachery and sent a Stormcast army to liberate the city, but a surprise parley between the Celestant-Prime and Morathi led to the Stormcast withdrawing and ceding the city to Morathi in exchange for...something.
**On its own, '''Har Kuron''' is completely devoted to Morathi with only her most bloodthirsty and zealous followers rising to prominence in the city. Every major sect of the DoK has a temple in Har Kuron where they regularly cull and cleanse the population of the weak or unfaithful. Essentially, it’s now the AoS equivalent to Har Ganeth from Fantasy. What’s funny though is that despite the city’s fervent zealotry to her, Morathi loathes Har Kuron for the repugnant stench it still carries thanks to the copious weed killer and sees it as a poor throne for a goddess. To her, this city is less of a wanted conquest and more of a statement to her former allies and a staging ground for future expansion.
*'''Hallowheart''': The wizard's city. Being founded by the Hallowed Knights at the bottom of a gigantic crystal cave (where lived a mutated gigantic dragon of Tzeentch, who got hammered) this city has a magical focus and the central core of Collegiate Arcane. Don't mind the continuous daemon invasion perpetrated by Tzeentch and company, or the strange whispers that promise you great power and wealth, but report those facts to the Devoted of Sigmar for a handsome reward. {{BLAM}}
*'''The Living City''': A city shaped from trees and rock by [[Alarielle]] herself that symbolizes the alliance between her and Sigmar. As such, this city allies itself with [[Sylvaneth]] capable of putting aside their grudges towards everything that isn't a tree. Also where Alarielle pardoned the Wanderers for their cowardice during the Age of Chaos, so this is their home base.
*'''The Phoenicium''': The main city of the Phoenix Temple, it's at the foot of a big tree-mountain with a goofy name that avalanched sap over the area, trapping warriors in amber. In the Age of Sigmar, a host of phoenix birds thawed the sap into a golden mist that persists ever since - and if enemies that get too close enter the mist, they get trapped in amber, which then becomes another block on the ramparts. So, yeah, picture an amber wall filled with "oh crap"-faced Chaos warriors, greenskins, and spooks - that's how The Phoenicium do. Why nobody already tricked Archaon to attack this city, turning him into a statue and win the war is anyone's guess... but then again Archaon is a god so it would only weaken him and not by much (It is great at keeping Thanquol away)
*'''Tempest's Eye''': A city on top of a mountain that has close trade and military ties to the Kharadron Overlords. Since the Tempest Lords stationed there were all recruited from former nobility, they're the only city that is directly ruled by its Stormcast Eternals.
* '''Misthåvn''': The “City of Scoundrels” is in Ulgu, and it's less a city and more numerous fleets of massive ships from varying races all lashed together. This unique design means that Misthåvn can divide into its various components and move along the coast of Cape Tendbrax. Rather than having districts, the city is comprised of different armadas, each overseen by a Scourge Privateer Fleetmaster/Admiral. It’s infamous among the Azyrites for its corrupt policies, underhanded combat strategies, and a very lucrative illegal narcotics market. The native populace takes a spiteful pride in this reputation, though they still do their best to make sure Sigmar doesn’t call for the city’s purging, doubly so because the city's heart is a ship bigger than all the others and a Stormkeep for the Stormcast Eternals. At the top of the Stormcast's ship is a realmgate, which the city's populace thinks is attached to the top of the ship. In truth, the realmgate moves randomly, but the Stormcast use magic to scry where and when it moves, and pretend it moves with their ship instead of the other way around.
*'''Settler's Gain''': Located in the continent of Xintil in [[Hysh]], where Tyrion and Teclis <s>segregated</s> gave all the Sigmar-praisers their own little society away from the rest of the realm. Settler's Gain notably has solar-powered automata doing all the menial labor, freeing the populace to focus on intellectual pursuits. The city is run by a meritocratic caste system where your status is based on passing philosophical, theological and arcane tests. Truly the most utopian of all Free Cities. Pay no attention to the fact that these tests are so numerous and require so many years of study to pass that only Aelves can live long enough to ascend to the highest ranks, resulting in a ruling class of Lumineth reigning over the mostly-human peasants. These peasants live in simple but well-designed houses neatly grouped together which are totally not second-rate housing commission to create a ghetto for humans and human sympathizers; it's definitely called the Simple District for the basic style of architecture, and not a Lumineth joke mocking the inhabitants as stupid. Those questioning the perfect society of <s>Settler's Gain</s> Yllurai Xhen to the Lumineth and their supporters, Settler's Gain originally and to everyone else... or protest the system will be sent on years-long "educational sabbaticals" or assigned to Lumineth-owned Enlightenment Prisms for re-education.
*'''Excelsis''': A [[Ghur|Ghurish]] city built around the Spear of Mallus, an big ass shard of the World-That-Was that fell into Ghur. Shards broken off this object can be used to see the future, and the resulting "Glimmerings" have become the local currency. Too bad they have to live in terror of the Knights Excelsior, one of the most brutal and authoritarian Stormhosts. Too bad the Knights are doing huge crackdowns after a big Tzeentch cultist insurrection (detailed in the book City of Secrets). Too bad that all the fortune teller guilds are discovering from the Glimmerings that a gigantic army of all Destruction races lead by [[Kragnos]] himself is heading towards them. Too bad that the ever mounting volume of hurt about to befall the citizens of Excelsis is about to expand, as [[Sigvald|Sigvald the Magnificent]] and [[Glutos Orscollion]] are now leading their Slaaneshi hordes towards the city, intending to make it their new personal playground of debauchery. While it was ultimately saved by the cooperative efforts of the Kharadron fleets, Morathi and Lord Kroak, the city is still bound to be targeted by the resurgent forces of Destruction.

===Without rules===
*'''Azyrheim''': The largest city in [[Azyr]] and de-facto capital of the entire the Grand Alliance of Order. Azyrheim also has a fantasy IN SPACE look, further reinforced by some fluff which states Azyr has no day but an eternal night filled with stars, moons and other astral phenomena, another important feature of the city is the Towers of the Eight Winds, massive floating structures where the Collegiate Arcane train mages and research magic. Sigmar's obsession with keeping Azyr free of the taint of Chaos has lead to this place being rather authoritarian, as in if they catch you performing crimes they implant you with runes that burn out all thoughts of disloyalty out of your mind. On the other hand, it’s not like the freaking gods don’t know if you’re guilty and if you don’t want to be implanted then just follow the law set by one of the few deities that isn't a complete psychopath. They aren’t crazy or stupid under Sigmar so there isn’t really a reason not to.
*'''Brightspear''': A city near the coast of [[Aqshy|The Great Parch]] that was built on top of an ancient realmgate that could travel to any of the nine realms. Above the city are orbs that each contain a college of magic dedicated to one of the winds. The one dedicated to chaos was destroyed, but the echoes still remain. This city is expanded upon in great detail in the Soulbound starter set.
*'''Edassa''': Mentioned during Gotrek's adventures in “Realmslayer” and “Ghoulslayer”, and the home city of the character Jordainn. An African themed kingdom located in Aqshy, it sits at crossroads with two other kingdoms and city states, all of them part of a mutual pact funding the garrisons of forts and towns that run the length of the region's roads. [[Celestial Lions|Have a Lion motif in their armor as well as in their battlecry.]]
*'''Westreach and Eastdale''': Twin cities built on an island in Shyish. Westreach is populated by Azyrites while Eastdale is controlled by the Reclaimed. Both cities work with each other though the former’s haughty attitude and the latter’s superstitions has lead to tension between the two. Both cities were built over the ruins/tombs of an ancient town called Belvegrod, and since this is Shyish both cities have a terrible [[Nighthaunt]] infestation. A warding protected the city from [[Lady Olynder]]’s full wrath, but through machinations that’d make Neferata proud, the Mortarch of Grief broke the wardings and razed the Twin Cities, her undead hordes consuming the living.
*'''Vindicarum''': The city of the Celestial Vindicators in [[Chamon]]. If you thought Excelsis was bad, Vindicarium is worse. How worse? When the citizens rioted in protest of the Celestial Vindicator's harsh laws, the Stormcast ended up killing three quarters of the city's population. Keep in mind every City of Sigmar is fucking massive, so its quite possible literally millions died. All the remaining survivors became super pious members of the Devoted of Sigmar, equally terrified of the taint of Chaos and the wrath of their overlords. Suffice to say the reports of this incident have only served to even further increase the fear and distrust the common man has for the Stormcast. Be’lakor’s siege of the city has wiped out more than ninety percent of their population, so although he was pushed back, it came at a high cost. Vindicarum is less of a city now and more of a township in the low hundreds.
*'''Lethis''': Technically has rules in the form of the “Lethisian Defenders” list from Forbidden Power, but not actually part of the Cities of Sigmar allegiance. This city is based in Shyish next to Lake Lethis, a lake whose waters are cursed to take away memories. This water is actually one of their most valuable exports, as a lot of people in the Mortal Realms have [[Grimdark|traumatic memories they'd rather forget]]. Also home to the Stormvault which held [[Katakros]], who was released when the city was invaded by [[Lady Olynder]]'s Legion of Grief.
*'''The Collonade''': A towering gleaming city in Ghur built upon colossal marble pillars that rise and fall with the shifting earth of their bestial home. The culture of the Collonade is defined by always being “pure” and morally above the Realm of Beasts, which makes most of the populace have an insufferably self righteous opinion of themselves. So it was quite the wound to their pride then when they had to work with the monstrous [[Soulblight Gravelords|vampires]] of the Avengorii Dynasty to defend their city against a Beastmen war herd. Prejudice won out in the end though as the actions of an overzealous bard led to the Collonade breaking their alliance with the Avengorii…and then having their entire city drowned in blood and leveled to the ground as punishment for their betrayal.

==Soulbound==
Considering the diverse natures of the cities, it also makes no surprise that they also hold a diverse number of archetypes in [[Age of Sigmar Roleplay]]. Naturally, these Free Peoples are descendants of those who holed up in Azyr during the Age of Chaos as well as those who managed to weather the mayhem that ensued. As the gates of Azyr opened up again, many joined hands in their great cities, some out of total loyalty while others see this as merely an opportunity. Of course, those who become Soulbound do so for an equally vast number of reasons, though all are hailed among the cities as heroes and champions of the gods, perhaps equal to the Stormcast Eternals.

The ''Champions of Order'' splatbook introduces the various cities for a Free Peoples hero to hail from:
*'''Anvilgard:''' Initially founded on the Charrwind Coast of Aqshy and employed defoliant mists to keep the rampant vegetation at bay. Before long, it fell victim to the manipulations of a powerful criminal syndicate called the Blackscale Coil. Though it first acted through subterfuge and blackmail, it eventually escalated to more direct means of murder and espionage with such brazenness that many questioned whether or not they actually ruled the city...and then the city got steamrolled by Morathi and turned into Har Kuron. Heroes from Anvilgard start with either two contacts to benefit from or one contact with better contacts to benefit from.
*'''Brightspear:''' This city has suffered much despite its relative youth. This relative recency has made surviving the Necroquake much harder, and when combined with the constant invasions by Tzeentch's forces, who seek to plunder both its supply fleets and its walls, it makes for a nigh-impossible situation. Those who hail from this city don't live in luxury, but live knowing that they fought tooth and nail for all that they own. Heroes from Brightspear can ignore any tool requirements for tests or endeavors, but the tests become more difficult. During any downtime, they can also swap their training and focus from one skill to another, even if this is a skill they lack any training or focus in.
*'''Hammerhal:''' The greatest of cities, split between both Aqshy and Ghyran. It is here that the god-king Sigmar claims is his capital in his ambitions of clearing the taint from the other realms. However, this is something of a gilded dream, as the rich often live in lofty palaces while the rest are left in slums and ghettos. Hammerhal Aqsha is an industrialized haven, home to several military guilds and the most famous militant academy, the Acadamae Martial. Hammerhal Ghyra are stubborn in seeking their goals, filled with the vigor that comes from living in the realm of life. Heroes from Hammerhal Aqsha double their training in any skills involving military acumen, including when undertaking the Fortify endeavor, and have the Tactician talent available to all archetypes. Heroes from Hammerhal Ghyra add the Industrious talent to all archetypes, and reduce the complexity of Death checks by 1 - Any instant-kill abilities instead renders them mortally wounded.
*'''Greywater Fastness:''' An industrial haven residing in Ghyran, much to the hatred of the neighboring Sylvaneth. This place is driven by its military might, as it houses a great many stores of weapons and powder that they supply to other cities. Often, there is no freedom from the constant labor. Heroes from Greywater Fastness always possess a firearm (be it a blunderbuss, a pair of pistols, a rifle, or a repeater pistol). In addition, any time they undertake the Crafting endeavor, they can always auto-pass the tests needed, though doing so comes with peril as Doom is increased by 1.
*'''Excelsis:''' This city is split between fortune-tellers who entered the city with open eyes who hail from Azyr and those hunters who have always resided in Ghur during the Age of Chaos. Though the city is under constant watch of the Knights Excelsior, their greater threat comes from the realm itself, filled with many menaces and threats that are all too immediate, unmoored from past or future. Heroes from Excelsis carry Glimmerlings, valuable magical items that can be expended to tell the future. These can always be bought from any marketplace, though not for cheap. Later during the Broken Realms Saga a mini-civil war breaks out in the city after some Tzeentchian demons manifest and a reactionary force of magic haters called the Nullstone Brotherhood starts to gain power. Unknown to everyone the leader of the group is actually a Slaanesh worshipper. The Newborns of Slaanesh later hire some Skaven to undermine the defenses of the city and to summon them into the city just as Kragnos and his Orruk allies begin to assault the city. In the end, the leader of the Nullstone Brotherhood is killed, the twin Newborn demons are banished and Morathi arrives with reinforcements in a Black Ark and helps Lord Kroak trick Kragnos into going through a portal that drops him on the opposite side of the Realm of Ghur. Thus, the city is left severely damaged but still intact.
*'''Lethis:''' Residing in the realm of death, the citizens of this city revere an obscure god rather than the great necromancer who rules here - though it is debated whether this god still exists or was devoured by Nagash in a past age. Regardless of the truth, they utilize talismans to war themselves from evil. Heroes from Lethis all carry such talismans, making their weapons and armor count as magical when facing the undead and daemons.
*'''Misthåvn:''' This city is just as shady as the realm as it claims as home. It is a bleak and dismal colony, populated by pirates, conmen, and other duplicitious individuals in search for a good time - and often, there are secrets behind the façades, usually hiding something far worse. This is what the inhabitants embody, much to the consternation of the Azyrite members of the city. Heroes from Misthåvn start with a False Identity and can always undertake this endeavor at any time. They also have one dose each of three particular narcotics, which they can always seek more of when needed.
*'''Settler's Gain:''' A seeming utopia in Hysh, where automatons manage all of the manual labor so the citizens can pursue more intellectual pursuits. That said, it is not-so-subtly manipulated by the Lumineth, who are the abiters of progress and lawkeepers and seek to discipline and re-educate those they deem their lessers. Heroes from Settler's Gain can re-arrange their environment during their rest, having a chance of adding +1d6 to either Mind or Soul tests for the rest of the day.
*'''Vindicarum:''' This city is a veritable fortress, stationed atop a mountain and guarded by the Celestial Vindicators. Though it is a devout place, it is constantly imperiled by the machinations of Tzeentch and as a result, its Stormcast protectors are often merciless with their persecution. Heroes from Vindicarum add their training in Theology to Insight, Awareness, or Survival checks made to determine the traces of Chaos. In addition, the Theology skill is available to all archetypes.

Because of their diverse natures, there are archetypes available to Human, Duardin, and Aelf members of the Free Cities. Any of these races can select the '''Trade Privateer''' archetype. Humans can select the '''Battlemage''' and '''Excelsior Warpriest''' archetypes, with Aelfs also being able to select the former. Aelfs can select the '''Black Ark Corsair''' and '''Darkling Sorceress''' archetypes. The ''Era of the Beast'' splatbook also introduces the '''Witch-Hunter''' as an Archetype available to any race.

==Trivia==
*The dominant currency in the Cities of Sigmar is Aqua Ghyranis, which is water infused with the life magic of Ghyran, typically stored in vials or globes. This happened mainly because of two reasons; the majority of Free Cities are in Aqshy (where Aqua Ghyranis is naturally an incredibly valuable commodity) and Ghyran (which produces it) and the founders of Cities realized that if they used gold as the currency that would just mean they gave complete control of their economy to the Kharadron Overlords due to their monopoly on Chamon's mineral resources. The uses of Aqua Ghyranis are considered worth having the economy controlled by the people of Ghyran and the goddess Alarielle.

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

Broken Realms Saga

2023-06-08T11:33:38Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

Under Construction...

'''The Broken Realms Saga (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love AoS)''' was an ongoing narrative event in Warhammer [[Age of Sigmar|Age of Sigmar]] that led into its Third Edition. Consisting of four main books, as well as a series of short stories published on the Warhammer Community website, this narrative leap bears a lot of similarities to Warhammer 40,000's most recent story series, the [[Psychic Awakening|Psychic Awakening]]. However, Broken Realms has something that Psychic Awakening failed to give its readers: '''Actual Stakes!!'''

Indeed, in every book released, there are massive and dramatic shifts in power that fundamentally affect the direction of the Mortal Realms. [[Morathi|A manipulative and subversive quest for divinity]], the two biggest [[Teclis|egotistical]] [[Nagash|nerds]] in all of Warhammer going at each other, [[Sigvald|old characters]] [[Lord Kroak|reemerging]] and [[Grombrindal|making their mark]], [[Glutos Orscollion|new]] [[Kragnos|characters]] and [[Soulblight Gravelords|factions]] making their appearances, the very nature of the Realms being dramatically altered, [[Sigmar|Sigmar]] and his [[Stormcast Eternals|golden bois]] getting taken to the cleaners, [[Be'lakor|BE'LAKOR]] [[Awesome|BEING AN ACTUAL THREAT]], etc.

We are keeping the spoilers low but we recommend you read the books, they are actually very fun and help flesh out a lot of Age of Sigmar characters and their interactions.

==[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sl18JWIGkGvsrxxL.pdf Story: The Clobbering]==
Megaboss Bokkrog fights a challenger and loses, only to be knocked out instead of killed. When he wakes up, a shaman is preparing him for the coming of a god (later revealed to be Kragnos).

==Story: Cursed Gift==
Morathi learns about the properties of the realmstone of Chaos - now dubbed "Varanite" - and decides its just what she needs for her plans after testing it on a few Witch Aelves.

=Book One: Morathi=

[[File:Borken-realms-morathi.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Morathi's arc in a nutshell.]]

The first book of the saga kicks things off by having [[Morathi]] decide to finally realize her aspirations of godhood. After "collecting" an ancient artefact used to collect souls from [[Slaanesh]]'s gut from the Idoneth, she decides to sic her old "buddies" [[Sigmar]] and [[Alarielle]] as well as the vengeful [[Katakros]] at the Varanspire, [[Archaon]]'s special hideout, while she picked up some of the realmstone.

She uses the realmstone and the artefact to open a rift right into her ancient enemy's gut, and managed to eat the souls of all the Phoenix Kings...except for Aenarion. She hesitated eating him because of their past, but he wasn't having any of it and split her in half, one half being her elf wizard self and the other being her giant snake-monstergirl self. She hops out of her portal and then fuses with the essence of [[Khaine]], essentially becoming Khaine while a piece of Slaanesh secretly escapes into Ulgu.

With this power in hand, she forces the Idoneth, who sought to reclaim their trinket, to join her in raiding the city of Anvilgard. She takes it over and renames it into Har Kuron, marking a definitive end to her alliance with the God-King. The stormboys fought back, but they were all captured non-lethally so they can't bolt back to Azyr and warn Sigmar. Until a shadowy entity of unknown allegiance (at the time) freed one of the captured Stormcast...

==Story: The Price of Treason==
In Har Kuron, formerly Anvilgard, a group of humans are rescued by a group of Scourge Privateer elves from being executed by the Daughters of Khaine. This is because some of the humans and elves there are loyal to Sigmar and don't like Morathi.

==Story: Thicker Than Water==
Akhelian King Sythus Nemmetar reflects on the Idoneth's newfound alliance with the Daughters of Khaine during a battle against humans and Lumineth... and doesn't like it. Even moreso for Sythus since he's forced to fight alongside the Hag Queen Nyrithia, who mutilated half his face when the Idoneth attacked Hagg Nar (it doesn't help that Nyrithia trolls Sythus about it mercilessly).

==[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/PNMHsVK0i2o6y8qk.pdf Story: In The Deep Dark Mountain]==
Three brothers hiding in a cave are found by an Ogor Mawtribes army and drafted into Gordrakk's growing WAAAGH! Also, the three brothers are Mega-Gargants.

==Story: The Hateful Stasis==
Slaaneshi Chaos Lord Gestharyx gets tired of waiting while battling against the forces of Khorne, and is reassured of Slaanesh's latest plan by the daemon herald Glavia Sinheart.

==Story: The Squint==
Skragrott tries to make sense of the prophecies from his Fungal Asylum as he marches alongside Gordrakk's Waaghh in Ghur. One of his captives, a magister of Tzeentch, attacks him while giving some major prophecies, but Skragrott takes him down with the help of the Bad Moon itself.

==Story: The Golden Son==
Sigvald and Glutos battle against the Fyreslayers and try to outdo each other, only stopping their bickering when a certain pair of daemons introduced in the Broken Realms saga tell them to go to Excelsis in preparation for a "feast".

==Story: Enlightenment==
An account of the Lumineth Realm-lords working with humans in the city Settler's Gain from the POV of a human university professor. They give the humans totally-not-second-rate accommodations and magical gear and also educate them... which definitely does not include "re-educating" them with magic.

==Story: The Path Of Futility==
Mannfred von Carstein binds a Nurgle daemon and attempts to interrogate it, but the daemon breaks free, forcing Mannfred to kill it. Mannfred also makes his own plans and believes that Nagash will fail.

==Story: The Joust Of Kings==
Ossiarch Bonereapers Tithemaster Vokmortian and Liege-Kavalos Horrek play Age of Sigmar's version of the board game 4D chess. During the game, they discuss about Nagash's latest plans. The story reveals quite a bit about what the Bonereapers do in their downtime (and that they actually get downtime).

=Book Two: Teclis=

[[File:Gt57lz4oxnt71.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The conflict in a nutshell.]]

After saving Settler's Gain/Yhulari Xhen from a literal gheist tsunami, Teclis had had enough. Deciding that the whole Necroquake business was going on for too long, that Sigmar was dragging his feet dealing with it and that Nagash's harassment of the realms was getting too much, Teclis showed up in Nagashizzar and warned Nagash to stop it or be stopped. Nagash predictably told Teclis where to shove his threat.

Afterward, the forces of the [[Lumineth Realm-Lords]] rallied under Teclis to stick it to the boney asshole. The Lumineth invaded Shysh in flying islands, made much property damage to the Ossiarch Empire and then called it a moral victory. Nagash continued with his plan of sending the Mortarchs to expand the influence of the Shysh Nadir to other realms while planning revenge on Teclis. Mannfred was in Ghyran double-dealing as usual, Neferata met some <s>meddling kids</s> Lumineth twins in Chamon, and Eltharion dueled Arkhan in a long-awaited second round at Hysh.

After some dubious results, Skelepope makes the brilliant move of trying to beat Teclis on his home turf by spreading the Necroquake himself and attempting to kill Mount Avelanor. The resulting duel between the two nerds included lots of spells, actual sword fighting, teleportation through the Aetheric Void Dragon Ball-style and no less than six super-powered Luminarks firing their lazors and rolling lots of sixes.

There is also a sweet scene of Teclis and Alarielle contemplating the fate of the Realms and giving some light to the grimdarkness of AoS 2nd edition.

==Story: Dark Offerings==
A group of Skaven assassins vie for Be'lakor's patronage, until one of them wins his favor by discreetly but messily killing the others. Be'lakor's target is also a theoretically immortal being, likely Lady Olynder.

==Story: Marked For Death==
A vampire is sent by Neferata to assassinate a Kharadron Admiral who interfered with her plans, but they're saved by Lumineth twins Ellania and Ellathor.

=Book Three: Be'lakor=
Tired of being second fiddle to Archie-chan and not being noticed by the Chaos God senpais, Be'lakor has been working a long term plot to block the Stormcasts Reforging process while plummeting the Mortal Relams into a widespread Chaos Storm. In order to do so he engages in 4D chess with none other than Lord Kroak, all while ensuring both a major setback against Archaon's own domains and plans and Sigmar and his allies.

Then Be'lakor has to break a deadly curse that Olynder put on him during the Battle of the Varanspire. To do this, he tries to track down her corpse to permanently kill her. The running battles end in a stalemate, with Olynder agreeing to lift the curse in exchange for a bounty of souls.

Highlights of the book include a space battle between an armada of Seraphon temple-ships and a Silver Tower, widespread nuclear explosions destroying scores of Realmgates, Gardus Steel-Soul having an astral fly with Kroak, the last stand of the Sigmarite Brotherhood and finally a massive battle between the entire army of the Dark Master vs the Free City of Vindicarum and a massive airfleet formed by all the major city-ports of the Kharadrons united by certain dwarf and much aether-gold.

==Story: Sacrifice==
A group of Stormcast seek to free the souls of their brethren that have been captured by the Nighthaunt, with mixed results.

==Story: To Cast A Long Shadow==
Morathi has a chat with her son, the god formerly known as Malekith. After some back-and-forth sassing, he warns Morathi that Sigmar's preparing to get back at her for taking Anvilgard, and Morathi brushes it off. Tyrion is mentioned to be making moves and the two have an almost wholesome mother/son moment.

==Story: The Turnskin's Tale==
A Beastlord invites a mysterious warrior, who's a POV character for the audience, to hear his story due to a shared cause. The Beastlord talks about his exploits and the rising power of the Sylvaneth and Alarielle. The story ends with the POV character mutating into a Gor, as the Beastlord did.

=Book Four: Kragnos=
With the end of the Necroquake and Nagash stuck in Nagashizzar, Life goes into ascendance and Alarielle steps in to spread a non-lethal version of the Necroquake across the realms known as the Rite of Life. Alarielle's own power, and that of the Sylvaneth, swelled in response and the Oak of Ages was resurrected but there was a major unintended consequence.

Combined with the residual effects of Nagash's Necroquake, Alarielle's Rite of Life broke the prison of Kragnos; an ancient, destructive god sealed away by Lord Kroak in Ghur during the Age of Myth. Enraged by his captivity, the loss of his people and the fact that human cities have been built on his former homeland, Kragnos attacked Excelsis, which is already in the process of being corrupted by followers of Slaanesh.

Kragnos allied with Gordrakk's army, and they manage to smash their way into the city and start wreaking havoc despite Lord Kroak doing his best to mystically reinforce the cities defenses and slay Kragnos. The end result is Excelsis is nearly destroyed and Kragnos finds himself at the other end of Ghur.

There is an epilogue for the four big players of the Saga; Teclis is meditating in space with Celennar until Nagash interrupts him to promise revenge. Be'lakor meets the twin Newborn daemons in Slaanesh's realm and warns them about Grungni. Kragnos is found by [[Kruleboyz Orruks|an isolated Orruk tribe that worships him]]. Morathi is put on trial by the Celestant-Prime for betraying the forces of Order and only Grungni's arrival, Morathi's help against Kragnos and the bigger problems of spreading chaos storms gains her clemency.

==Story: Premonitions==
Set during the Siege of Excelsis, the high command of the city consults a Skink Starpriest as to how things are gonna go for them. It's also (rather anti-climatically) revealed in it that Sigvald and Glutos never got to the city, as they had gotten into a fight - presumably over who had the more well-trimmed pubic hair, but with the implication some Seraphon killed some of Sigvald's and Glutos' troops to pit them against each other.

==Story: Kunnin'==
Some time after the Siege of Excelsis Gobsprakk - Orruk shaman extraordinaire, friend of Mork and prophet of Kragnos - picks up the Ogor Hunter Krugrump for a conversation about Gordrakk. Using wyvern-sized vultures.

==Story: The Scales of Victory==
A Skink wakes up upon one of the massive star-engines. He is brought to join the collective that lives on the engine, whose plans have been thrown off by the awakening of Kragnos. However, they reveal that there is a new check in place in order: The Draconith, the ancient race of dragons. Though seemingly driven to extinction once before, the Slann had kept the last remaining eggs in captivity and training them to fight. These Draconith are shaping up to be another major faction in the bigger scheme.

=Reception (Here be Spoilers)=
Overall, the Broken Realms series was met mostly with positive reception by the Age of Sigmar community at large. As previously stated, the narrative shake-ups to the realms were welcomed with open arms, as they managed to change the setting WITHOUT [[The End Times|fucking blowing everything up]]. However, this doesn't mean that it was nothing but positivity - there were a lot of controversies as well.

BR: Morathi was mostly lauded for its portrayal of Morathi's rise to power and the Idoneth's role. There's also a major boon for Slaanesh's followers as Slaanesh exploited Morathi's ritual to give birth to a pair of demigods to lead Slaanesh's followers in his/her absence.

BR: Teclis was the very definition of [[Skub]]. The Lumineth elves won at every turn, achieved all their goals and made the entire Death faction all the way up to Nagash himself look like a bunch of jobbers, with Nagash marking Teclis with death magic seeming like an afterthought. As if the worfing wasn't enough, the Lumineth also got a lot of new units, four new special characters and a terrain piece ''only a year after their initial release'' (even potential mitigating circumstances like Brexit and delays relating to the COVID-19 pandemic didn't completely smooth things over) while the Bonereapers - despite being touted as the book's main antagonists - only got one mediocre battalion and no new gear (the side factions got more than they did). Even GW realized how much they reduced the Bonreapers to jobbers, as subsequent lore since expanded how hard it was for the Lumineth to achieve their victories and how much damage the Bonereapers did in return.

BR: Be’lakor was met with mostly positive reception. Some well-liked parts were the intervention of the Seraphon against the forces of Chaos, Be'lakor managing to sever the link between Stormcast and Azyr and the mutual manipulation between Be'lakor and Lady Olynder. However, there was a lot of contention as to the identity of the Dwarf Gromthi (later revealed to be Grungni).

While BR: Teclis brought the skub, the real clincher was BR: Kragnos. The book was criticized for trying to fit too much in, leading to some plot contrivances. Some of the worst offenders were Kragnos suddenly appearing and stealing Gordrakk's WAAAGH!, the ''literal children of Slaanesh'' getting jobbed by a pair of humans plus a lone Stormcast and - deserving special mention - Kroak's and Morathi's roles. While Kroak's presence makes sense, he acts out of character by trying to brute force his way despite being all about ancient wisdom and dismissing the threat of ''the literal children of a Chaos God''. As for Morathi, she and her army serve as a Deus Ex Machina to save Excelsis and get rid of Kragnos. Alarielle's Rite of Life was also a plot contrivance, but more accepted because it was noblebright without worfing or jobbing anyone (unlike BR: Teclis) and was an excuse to give the Sylvaneth a sorely-needed boost on the gameplay side of things (unlike the Lumineth boost, which made them borderline OP on the tabletop).

Nevertheless, the Broken Realms series was a pretty solid lead up to Third Edition - at least, much more so than [[Psychic Awakening]] was for 40k.

[[Category: Age of Sigmar]]

Gardus Steel-Soul

2023-06-08T11:31:23Z

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Gardus Steel-Soul is a Lord-Celestant of the Hallowed Knights Stormhost, leading the "Steel Souls" Warrior Chamber that is named in his honour. Introduced way back in early AoS in the Realmgate Wars, he became one of the more popular Stormcast characters which lead to him becoming the first non-Hammers of Sigmar Stormcast special character on tabletop.

==History==
===Origins===
In his mortal life, Gardus was not a mighty warrior, merely a doctor called Garradan. When the forces of Nurgle invaded his hospital, he took up two iron candlesticks as improvised weapons to defend his patients. Though no match for the forces of Chaos, his heroism caught the eye of Sigmar and when he took a spear in the back he was spirited away to become a Stormcast Eternal.

===The Realmgate Wars===

===Broken Realms===

==On Tabletop==
Gardus isn't very much different from the typical Lord-Celestant, wielding the exact same weapons and having only minor differences in his statline. His unique special rules are giving an aura to resist mortal wounds (5+ on himself, 6+ on his allies), being able to pile in and attack after being killed, and once per battle being able to declare a "Saintly Assault" which allows him and nearby Hallowed Knights heroes to reroll charges and have an additional attack.

[[Category:Stormcast Eternals]]

Stormcast Eternals

2023-06-08T11:27:35Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Stormcast Eternals|Logo=Ae7063ba280b6a7f3c9ec61c2bfa2d45-768x1000.png|Alliance=Order|Motto=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DCU-80FT28 Cue the power-metal.]}}
{{topquote|Justice, like lightning, ever should appear; to a few men ruin, but to all men fear.|Thomas Randolph}}
{{topquote|Much is demanded of those to who much has been given.|Stormcast Saying (they got it from [https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/EN/Luke+12:48 Jesus])}}
{{topquote|WE ARE THE SIGS MEHREENS! WE ARE THE EMPRA'S FUREH!|Indrick Boreale}}
The '''Stormcast Eternals''' (aka '''Sigmarines''', '''Ground Marines''', '''Fantasy Marines''', '''Stormcunt Eternals''', '''Stormchad Eternals''', '''Adeptus Sigmartes''', "'''The Fuckers Who Raided Dante's Wardrobe'''" and '''Sigmar Males''') are the primary type of soldiers used by [[Sigmar]] in order to fight Chaos during the [[Age of Sigmar]], and thus are the posterboys of the new line.

As will be made evident many times over, they're literally just Space Marines transplanted into the Age of Sigmar, in purpose (An elite military force of engineered super-soldiers grouped into color-coded divisions, personally designed by a god-ruler to be his warriors to combat unfathomably terrifying Lovecraftian horrors that normal men would simply despair at), model design (bulky dudes in all-enclosing, easy-to-paint armor with huge [[pauldrons]] for kids to freehand designs on to make themselves feel special), story role (elite members of the main protagonist faction that are renowned or reviled throughout the setting) and being shoved down the throats of the entire hobby by GW's marketing department. Three more strikes for (or against, depending on your view) them are the fact that some of them have crossbows that resemble bolters, some of their weapons are literally thunderhammers with a fantasy twist and the winged ones resemble some of the Blood Angels models.

Their fluff origins, on the other hand, do give them ''some'' important differences from the autistic warrior monks we all know and tolerate. Instead of distant super-warriors that are barely even humans, Stormcasts function more like a nation-spanning order of knights under Sigmar, who performs his will where needed - [[Ultramarines|they are all warriors, but can have regular functions like being administrators and nobles]], but also builders, artisans and guards. They consider themselves largely apart from the common folk, but not by much; more like a stronger version of a human but with more responsibility to use it well. In other words, they are Space Marines with a Custodian’s mind and an Ultrasmurf's purpose.

For all everyone enjoys making fun of them, they really are pretty cool and their art and models are genuinely awesome. But, hey, give the Internet something to bash and we'll come swinging with thunderhammers.

Also, the apparent global dislike and perceived disdain towards the golden boys out of the "lack of grimdarkness" from them have probably a part in why the books who are currently advancing the settings, "Broken Realms", has turned into "let's see who shit harder on the stormcast for appeasing the fans". Seriously, in 4 books the amount of pain they suffer is unthinkable; they lose many Stormcasts in the Eightpoints and Anvilard who aren't recovered for the greater part, the city of Anvilgard is taken over by Morathi, the Lumineth steal their thunder (heh) as "good guys who achieve something" by worfing ''the entire Death faction'' even up to Nagash himself, Vindicarium and Excelsis are nearly destroyed, the Hallowed Knights and Celestial Vindicators are severely depleted, the entire Sigmarite Brotherhood stormhost is wiped out to the last with Olynder claiming their souls and Chaos storms have emerged that can block Stormcast souls from returning to Azyr. Then the city of Excelsis has an uprising happen under their very noses, sees many Stormcast die and they end up playing second fiddle to humans, Daughters of Khaine and Seraphon (to be fair, one does help take down one of Slaanesh's Newborn daemons in a suicide attack). Stormcast fans can only dread what may comes next, because those fucking neckbeard [[Edgy|grimdark fappers]] can't get enough of it apparently (Well, at least the Chaos storms weren't too much of a problem).

==History==

===Age of Chaos===
So the Age of Chaos left Sigmar in a really bad position. His proposed alliance between the gods against Chaos was shattered with Nagash's betrayal and the others going off to do their own thing. For his part, Sigmar collected as many people as he could and shut off the Realm of Azyr to the rest of the mortal realms. Worst of all, the loss of Ghal-Maraz meant that he couldn't really fight at his fullest.

As the forces of Chaos ran rampant across the realms, Sigmar tried to focus his energy towards making a special project with [[Grungni]], an army forged by the God-King for his own purposes rather that relying on the other gods to help him out. To this end, he plucked the souls of countless worthy heroes from the grasp of the skelepope and made them all manner of fancy golden armor using the remains of the Old World. All the while, Teclis and Malerion's magics kept his projects a secret from all outsiders, giving him precious time to prepare his armies. While he couldn't accomplish all he set out to do and he had very valid fears that the flaws in his reforging would prove to be their undoing, he had to throw them out all the same.

Indeed, Sigmar knew very well that he was in a race against time. Little by little, what few pockets of civilized and uncorrupted land remained in the other Mortal Realms was being overrun and consumed by the hordes of Chaos, and there was a fear that the Realms would be beyond the point of no return for Order if they waited any longer in Azyr. However, a window of opportunity presented itself; After centuries of steamrolling the Realms, the thousands of Chaos warlords and daemon princes had begun to run out of powerful enemies to fight. As such, as Chaos tends to do, with no external enemies to pounce upon, they began to turn on each other, splintering into their petty squabbling war bands as their patron Gods schemed and plotted against each other. With his foes distracted and beginning to lose cohesion, Sigmar decided it was now or never.

He gave the order...and the Realmgate Wars began...

===The Realmgate Wars===
When the Stormcast emerged, they did so in brute force, bursting through the many realmgates to reclaim the mortal realms from the forces of Chaos. Though their forces were limited, the victories they claimed were critical to helping reform the [[Cities of Sigmar]], who tended to establish around the realmgates.

The Hammers of Sigmar touched down in Aqshy, the Realm of Fire, and immediately began mauling the massive Khornate horde known as the Goretide, led by [[Korghos Khul]]. Meanwhile, the Hallowed Knights made their way into Ghyran to help Sigmar's ally goddess Alarielle.

Perhaps the most important of their victories during this time was in Chamon, where Lords-Celestant Vandus Hammerhand and Thostos Bladestorm managed to discover the location of Ghal-Maraz inside a massive Tzeentchian fortress. After smashing through the various fractious armies and traps, Vandus finally reclaimed it and returned it to the God-King.

Sigmar would use his legendary hammer to awaken the Celestant-Prime, a super legendary project that he had been unable to finish without the hammer. With the help of this super-Stormcast, the forces of Order would manage to save the realm of Ghyran from Nurgle's clutches and re-awaken Alarielle so she could reinvigorate the Sylvaneth to kick the pusbags out.

Archaon would eventually hear word of his old rival's forces and go on the offensive, attempting to harness the power of the God-Beasts, ancient and mighty behemoths with the powers of gods. Of note was his attempt to twist [[Sons of Behemat|the God-Beast Behemat]] to his will, only to be thwarted by the Stormcast. The Realmgate wars would soon end when Sigmar, confident in his armies, tries to siege the territory of Eightpoints, the one spot that holds realmgates to each of the mortal realms. Though the place remained in Chaos hands, the realmgates to Aqshy and Ghyran were sealed off, dealing a telling blow to the control of Chaos.

===Malign Portents/The Soul Wars===
With many territories and realmgates reclaimed, the forces of Sigmar set about to garrison themselves and figure out how to best maintain order within the free cities. Some of Sigma's finest...[[Inquisition|were far from the kindly heroes they were made out to be]] and were especially ruthless in their hunt for the disloyal and the heretic.

All the while, Asshole Necromancer Supreme Nagash bided his time in a mighty ritual, gathering as much of the death magic as he could. The only reason Sigmar figured out was thanks to a vision by Vandus Hammerhand as well as the reports of a strike force that just so happened to witness it in the middle of fighting a chaos force in Shyish. The result of this was the Necroquake, a massive explosion of magic that not only resurrected countless dead (and thus established the [[Nighthaunt]] and eventually the [[Ossiarch Bonereapers]] as major forces of Death) but also created all sorts of [[Living Spells|predatory sentient spells]] and exposed Sigmar's Stormvaults. These vaults held all manner of ancient weapons and magic that the God-King viewed far too dangerous to be left in the open and thus he locked them away in all manner of locations in the mortal realms - and the Necroquake just exposed them to all manner of potential potential defilers and plunderers. This would force the Sacrosanct Chamber, an order of warrior-mages originally responsible for guarding the Anvil of Apotheosis, to depart for the mortal realms in order to protect these ancient caches. Thanks to this addition to the stormhosts, the unsteady wins that the forces of Order had would eventually be solidified...

===Broken Realms===
The [[Broken Realms Saga]] saw some particularly grueling setbacks for the posterboys of the franchise.

The first major battle is during ''Book 1: [[Morathi]]'', where the titular villain (now elevated to full-godhood by siphoning some stuff from Slaanesh) laying siege to the free city of Anvilgard. The stormcast stationed on the city were defending the city with everything they had, even when they were also beset by a raiding party of Idoneth mercenaries. People had thought the battle was over the moment the Celestant-Prime swooped down to fight Morathi, but that hope soon turned to despair when they went to parley and the Celestant-Prime actually ''conceded'', ordering all the Sigmarite elements of Anvilgard to pack their shit up and go home. What the conversation was about, nobody knows.

Fight number 2 was during ''Book 3: [[Be'lakor]]''. In that one, the First Prince of Chaos decided to lay siege to the free city of Vindicarum in Chamon. Not only were they already battered by [[Lady Olynder]]'s forces, all part of a deal with Be'lakor, but then the forces of Chaos under his thrall began smashing into the gates. Not helping things was the fact that the skies above the realm were clotted with dark sorcerous storms and the realmgate had collapsed - all the result of some other fuckery he had ordered. The end result was a matter completely alien to the Stormcast: actual vulnerability. The skies no longer allowed the souls of the Stormcast to reach safe ground in Azyr and be reforged, but they were instead devoured by the clouds. The losses they suffered here were permanent and it wasn't until some fleets of Kharadron had arrived (with Grungni himself among them) that they were able to push back the Dark Master's legions. Even then, though, the skies remained bleak, blocking most attempts to return to their maker, and the Celestial Vindicators stormhost was practically annihilated. Worse, the entire Sigmarite Brotherhood stormhost was wiped out, with all their souls being captured and given to Lady Olynder.

The last fight was in ''Book 4: [[Kragnos]]'', where the free city of Excelsis was besieged not only by the forces of destruction, led by Gordrakk and Kragnos himself, but also the legions of Slaanesh under his newborn twins. After this, the Celestant-Prime put Morathi, now Morathi-Khaine, on trial for what she did to Anvilgard. But he was told to give her clemency by ''Grungni'' of all people saying that they had bigger problems.

===Age of Beasts/The Dawnbringer Crusades===

Hearing about what Be'lakor did obviously distressed Sigmar. If the forces of Chaos had a way to block his soldiers from being reforged, then he was going to lose his warriors faster than he could reinforce them, dooming his forces to a gradual defeat via attrition.

He contemplated on ways to do get past this handicap, but fortunately he had found Grungni again after hearing about the hidden dwarf god's actions in Excelsius. Together, they decided to make Stormcast armor that was even tougher than before and enchanted to create a massive explosion upon the wearer's death. This would become the Thunderstrike Chamber, the newest and most elite of his forces. Also reinforcing the ranks are the Draconith, dragon-children of Dracothion himself who were kept by the Slann for such a dire situation like [[Kragnos|a certain ancient god breaking free]].

The Dawnbringer Crusades were called to bring order back to the realms after such a mess following the Soul Wars and hunt down any coming threats from Ghur and beyond. The forward base of Amberstone Watch would be their first exposure to the new forces in play: The [[Kruleboyz]].

The Stormcasts played an integral part in supporting the Dawnbringer Crusades, escorting settlers to their new homes and garrisoning forts and Stormkeeps along the new frontiers. Due to the Chaos Storm, the Stormcast have become a bit more supportive and defensive in their overall strategy, not quite being the all out attack from the Heavens that they were during the Realmgate Wars. While they still very much rely on lightning strike forces from Azyr, especially with the new Thunderstrike Chamber, the now likely chance of having their souls not being Reforged has meant that regular Stormcasts have to be more conservative of where they commit their forces to avoid unnecessary losses. With the Thunderstrike chambers often being the speartip when assualting heavily chaos infested lands allowing the other Stormcast forces to enter and cleanse the surrounding areas of corruption.

In addition to the new Thunderstike armour the Stormcast have developed new countermeasures to dark skies infested areas. With stormkeeps and new dawnbringer settlements making use of Star Bridges powered by the willing sacrifice of souls from Stormcast who have been reforged too many times and wish to have a more permanent death (essentially like a form of assisted suicide). These devices act like anchors that draws in Stormcast souls from miles around and helps non-thunderstrike stormcast return to Azyr with greater safety. In addition to Stormcast mages in newly counquered lands working in tandem with dawnbringer forces to cleanse surrouding lands of corruption to diminish the chaos corrupted skies above.

These new strategies have forced Stormcast to work more closely with Cities of Sigmar forces than ever before, and Stormcast stationed in stormkeeps across the realms developing new combat tactics to fight alongside their mortal allies.

==Reforging==
{{topquote|Look. See. Memories are wounds in the psyche, Little Spirit. They leave deep scars and tell stories. You were born in this Realm, as all living things are born only to die, and you recognized that truth in your torment. You sought to find peace in the dark of Creation's light. Was that not your right? Did you not deserve it? You served, and fought and died, and now only desired peace. Silence. Oblivion. Not to burn and become someone new...someone else. But they would not stop. Again, and again and again. They tried to drag you back. They took those you loved from you, and then, when that was not enough, they sought to take all memory of them. To leave you empty, save for the Storm. Bow, and become greater than that which was lost. Bow, and justice will be yours. Bow, and see again the faces of the forgotten...Now, sleep and be made whole...|Nagash to a lost Stormcast soul, from ''Soul Wars'' by Josh Reynolds}}

The Reforging is the process in which the Stormcast are either converted from mortal men into nigh-immortal demigods or where the not-so-immortal demigods are returned to Azyr to be remade anew.

The former process was originally started back during the Age of Chaos. While locked away in his palace, Sigmar kept an eye on countless defiant warriors, preachers, and countless others who fought the forces of Chaos to their bloody last. Rather than allowing these fearless mortals to fall into the deathly clutches of the great necromancer, he would snatch them away on bolts of lightning and bring them upon his facilities. There, the long and perilous journey of making Sigmar's finest would begin.

The painstaking Process of Reforging itself was devised by Sigmar and Grungni. The procedure takes place in the Sigmarabulum, the orbital ringed fortress that encircles Mallus, the core of the World that Was, floating high above the city of Azyrheim in the Realm of Heavens. This structure also serves as the mining facility of the Sigmarite metal, the material Mallus is comprised of, which is used to make the weapons and armor of the Stormcast, as well as a training facility and headquarters of all the Stormcast hosts. -[UNDER CONSTRUCTION]- Those scarred mortals who survive the processes and come back from the mighty Anvil of Apotheosis would become far more than mere men, gifted with the strength of many men and extensive tutelage in the arts of war. At this point these warriors could be considered the Stormcast Eternals, Sigmar's finest.

But even the finest fall. Upon death, these warriors would break down into a flash of lightning and be returned to Azyr, where they'd be brought to the Anvil of Apotheosis and reforged into new warriors. This process is unfortunately not without flaws. As a Stormcast is reforged time and time again, the traumas of their many deaths and rebirths press upon each other and the essence of the original person decays as they lose their personality and memories until they become little more than lightning-powered automata. Also troubling is that their morality gets bent further and further into something uncompromising and authoritarian - a troubling warning for what may come if war were to ever end. Apparently the Sacrosanct Chamber, who originally tended to the apparatuses that were responsible for the Reforging, were able to ease some of the traumas that come with this process thanks to their magic. Now that this chamber sees active duty in combat, that trauma may now be amplified.

Apparently Vandus Hammerhand has been haunted by visions of what the end-state of these Reforgings may be in the form of a literal ghost made of lightning. This lightning-gheist told Vandus that this flaw is an unfortunate inevitability of the flawed Reforging process and that the only way to prevent this from happening is to reclaim certain ancient artefacts.

And as noted above, Games Workshop's determination to not let up with the Grimdark means that the Stormcast Eternals have other things to worry about; Sigmar's grace / reforging is certainly better than being fodder for Nagash or the Chaos Gods, but not all Stormcast who die are able to return to Sigmar successfully, a problem that has only become more common with the presence of Chaos storms. In effect, dying as a Stormcast is a bit similar to dying as a High Elf or Craftworld Eldar; the lucky ones get an imperfect fate that is still vastly better than the alternatives, and the very unlucky fall into the clutches of Chaos.

==Rank and Military==
When each mortal is reforged, they are immediately put into a strenuous training ritual meant to hone them into superhuman hammer-swinging engines of holy war. Once the big man is satisfied, he then groups them into Stormhosts, and there they train with each other in a massive coliseum that [[Malekith|Malerion]] gifted him back when there was an alliance. These Stormhosts are then broken into Chambers with each having several conclaves organized by specialty. The Strike Chambers consist of your standard boring troops (divided further into Warrior, Harbinger and Exemplar Chambers based on exact makeup), the Extremis Chambers consist of riders of Dracoth and Stardrake cavalry, the Vanguard Chambers consist of outdoorsy ranger types and the Sacrosanct Chamber consists of priests and magicians. In addition, there are three known Chambers Sigmar has yet to unveil to the world; the Ruination, Covenant and Logister Chambers.

Each Stormhost is lead by a Lord-Commander, a supreme leader through which Sigmar's will is realised. As of now, there is currently one Lord Commander in playable miniature form, that being Bastian Carthalos of the Hammers of Sigmar. Supporting the Lord Commander are the Chamber Command, who governs each individual lesser Hosts, of which there are between 3 to 9 Retinues (squads), each with between 6 to 20 Stormcasts. For example, the Hammers of Sigmar Chamber has 301 Stormcasts of 7 Commanders, 36 Paladins, 180 Liberators, 18 Prosecutors (yep; half as many jumpies as elites) and 60 Judicators.

*'''Strike Chamber Command:'''
**'''Lords Celestant:''' The top dogs in the Supporting Chambers, these are the mightiest of heroes among the Chambers, gifted a larger portion of Sigmar's power in order to become great leaders. Some opt to fun with hammers and swords, while other find Dracoths (Large wingless dragons that shoot lightning) to ride like horses or Stardrakes (Even larger dragons with wings that can also cause meteor showers).
**'''Lords Relictor:''' These guys are priests, and are able to see the spiritual realm and all the spooky souls that swirl around in it. Their job is to use their skeletal relics to anchor the Stormcasts to Azyr so their souls don't accidentally end up as Daemon chow or part of Nagash's kingdom of skellingtons. Off-duty they function much the same as a [[Chaplain]], warding the relics a Chamber finds and guiding their members in matters of faith.
**'''Lords Castellant:''' The [[Paladin]] to the [[Warlord]] and [[Cleric]] above. Their initiation tests involving conquering their fears by traveling some mountains in Azyr and befriending a Gryphound. If successful, they get special warding lantern that illuminates his fellow Sigmarines and incinerates Chaos. As "Castellants", they each oversee a Stormcast Hold or Free City; they don't generally take to the battlefield unless necessary for the protection of their castle. Some of them don't have castles to babysit and instead act as their Lord Celestant's right hand man.
**'''Lords Veritant:''' The resident anti-magic specialists of the Stormcast. Hunts down enemy spell casters, and also removes their corrupting influences from the land. Is accompanied by a graph hound, like the Castellant.
**'''Knights Heraldor:''' These guys have giant horns that shoot lightning. Because STORMS. Their helmets are weirdly segmented around the mouths; assumed so the warrior inside can actually blow the fucking horn.
**'''Knights Vexillor:''' Unlike the other jobs, these guys are actually chosen in a contest. A shitton of Stormcasts enter the Coliseum, smack each other to not-quite death (The Coliseum makes sure everyone leaves refreshed because... Malerion didn't have a mood swing when he made it. Or did he, recent lore states that he actually has treacherous intentions towards Sigmar and his Coliseum has a sinister purpose). The winner gets to hold an awesome standard, or a big plate with a glowing orb on it that can be used to throw around fuckin' comets.
**'''Knights Azyros:''' The closets thing to Scout Leaders, these guys have lanterns to help illuminate the realms so Sigmar can see all the way from his palace. Also, the lanterns burn chaos.
**'''Knights Venator:''' Shootier flying Sigmarines, these guys are master archers with magical arrows and own pet <s>Star-Eagles</s> Articunos. One of their Stormsurgeboltthunderblowsuperarrows can kill almost any regular leader character in one shot.

*'''Strike Chamber Troops:'''
**'''Liberators:''' The ground-floor. The goons. The average Liberator is a walking tank, capable of wielding either melee weapons or shields to protect his pals from anything deadlier. They use either swords or hammers, sometimes dual wielded, or Grandhammers and Grandblades (Bigger versions of the usual Hammers and Swords).
**'''Judicators:''' [[Tactical Squad|Warriors skilled with both sword and bow who put to use their uncanny shooting ability in the ranks of the Justicar conclave.]] They wield devastating long-range weaponry (Skybolt Bows or Boltstorm Crossbows). Some even get luckier and get a mega-bow that fires thunderbolts. THE BOWS ARE MAGIC! YEEEEEEEEEEAH!!!! They also hit Chaos-stuff better, because fuck those guys.
**'''Prosecutors:''' They're like Liberators, but they got wings. They tend to spearhead the assault with their speed, throwing either magical reforging hammers or magical reforging spears. Or they could just smash with hammer and sword weapons. Like the Liberators, they can wield big-ass weapons like two-handed axes or war hammers.
**'''Retributors:''' Massive piles of Sigmarite who serve in the Paladin Chambers. These guys carry massive hammers to squash things, which has Rending +1 which can completely remove everything not a leader or monster in a turn. These guys love to pummel anything with more than one Wound, since they do two Damage standard, and can turn that into Mortal Wounds. There's really not something these motherfuckers can't do. Well okay, they don't stand up to high Rend or MW shooting, but then again that's an SE problem in general.
**'''Protectors:''' Despite the name, these Paladins only wield glaives. Glaives that are actually capable of generating magical force fields, and cut down big-ass monsters, should they get close. They are also very, very long range, so put them behind a Liberator wall and skewer that Mawkrusha something fierce while the goons get slaughtered.
**'''Decimators:''' Paladins with fuck huge axes, these things are made to make sweet murder out of hordes. These guys have a massive range on their axes, which is important - because they each get as many attacks as they have enemies within range - because fuck Reaver Hordes amirite. They are also very scary, so people take more heavy Battleshock casualties. Don't try to axe the knee of a Monster or Hero, though; with only one attack, their axes are laughably weak.

*'''Extremis Chamber'''
**'''Drakesworn Templars:''' Usually a second-in-command for a Lord-Celestant, a Templar is one of those few fortunate Sigmarines to encounter a Stardrake. Their loadout is more versatile.
**'''Fulminators:''' Paladin Protectors on Dracoths.
**'''Concussors:''' Paladin Retributors on Dracoths.
**'''Desolators:''' Paladin Decimators on Dracoths, same as the rest.
**'''Tempestors:''' Paladins with crossbows riding Dracoths.

*'''Vanguard Chamber'''
**'''Lords Aquilor:'''Recon Commander riding on a Gryph-Charger (giant wingless hippogryph-things).
**'''Knights-Zephyros:''' Dual axe wielding Stormcast assassins. They magically imprint themselves upon their chosen quarry, and ride aether wind currents to teleport/move at super speeds.
**'''Vanguard Hunters:''' Liberators with small crossbows, cloaks and utilizing infiltration tactics.
**'''Vanguard Raptors:''' Elite Sharpshooters with Longstrike Bows or Hurricane Crossbows (Elite Versions of Judicators). They also have aether-wings to bite and harass enemies that get too close.
**'''Vanguard Palladors:''' Vanguard Hunters on Gryph-Chargers. Armed with javelins. Can ride magical aether wind currents to teleport/move at super speeds.

*'''Sacrosanct Chamber'''
**'''Lords Arcanum:''' Wizard lords of the Sacrosanct chambers. Sometimes ride Gryph-Chargers, Dracolines (dragonoid big cat things), or Tauralons ([[Derp]]-faced pegasi).
**'''Lords Ordinator:''' Builders of Sigmar's works and babysitters of his artillery.
**'''Lords Exorcist:''' Wizard Stormpope.
**'''Knights-Incantor:''' Stormcast wizards without Lord rank. Can use magical soul flasks to suicide bomb surrounding enemies.
**'''Evocators:''' Magical paladins with a few spells at their disposal. Some ride Dracolines.
**'''Castigators:''' Magical Judicators whose crossbows shoot flasks of Dracoth breath.
**'''Sequitors:''' Liberators with maces and a self buff to either their weapons or shields. Not having the Prime take a great weapon actually has a benefit, giving them a ranged soul vacuum that hurts nearby Chaos and Death units.
**'''Celestar Ballista:''' Lightning ballista with options for either rapid fire or one big blast.

*'''Thunderstrike Chamber:''' So due to certain shenanigans in the [[Broken Realms Saga]], Sigmar realized that the whole "die to be reforged in Azyr" deal wasn't all-encompassing when the realm of Chamon was cut off thanks to [[Be'lakor]] being a fucker. To combat this and with the hope that they won't keel over so quickly, he along with his ally Grungi developed new Thunderstrike armour reinforcments to the existing chambers that can better combat the darkened skies. The new Thunderstrike Armor gives off a powerful burst of lightning magic upon the Stormcast's death, in the hope that it'll be enough to punch through Be'lakor's ritual and allow the soul to make it back to Azyr to Reforge. This development has led to Thunderstrike brotherhoods often leading the speartip of warrior chamber assualts. With non-thunderstrike stormcast being aided by newly created Star-Bridge devices that help stormcast souls in miles radius return to Azyr in Sigmar controlled territory.
**'''Lords Imperitant:''' Strategist-leaders who have gryph-hound companions like Lord-Veritants.
**'''Knights-Arcanum:''' The big question right now is "How do these mages differ from Lords-Arcanum and Knights-Incantor?"
**'''Knights Vexilor with Banner of Apotheosis:''' Knights Vexilor with a banner containing a fragment of the Anvil of Apotheosis, fortifying nearby Stormcast in a similar manner to the Anvil proper.
**'''Vindictors:''' The basic foot soldiers, each carrying a spear and shield.
**'''Annihilators:''' The equivalent of Gravis-marines, these are big bulky walls with big shields. Apparently, their size also allows them to channel their momentum when charging.
**'''Praetors:''' Cloaked bodyguards carrying halberds. Presumed to not share the same proclivities as Roman Praetorians.

===Notable Stormhosts===
*'''[[Hammers of Sigmar]]:''' The first Stormhost. They wear [[Ultramarines|Blue and Gold and pride themselves on being the posterboys of AoS]]. With the release of second edition, the posterboys finally have a personality! With the people of the realms seeing them as the foremost stormiest, they now fear that any unsavory rumor or failing on their part will lead to the undoing of Sigmar's plans. Those amongst them who die too many times are now plagued with visions and generate lightning around themselves. Vandus is awesome.
*'''Hallowed Knights:''' The fourth Stormhost. They wear silver and blue and are [[Grey Knights|pretty zealous about killing Chaos]]. They're known for their DETERMINATION and incredible faith in Sigmar, making them the ideal choice for jobs like wading through Nurgle's horrifying and disgusting kingdoms despite all the filth and plagues that pollute the lands. This Stormhost is in general one of the more popular Hosts, with their metal armors and very faith-based culture. Also, have a cool battle cry ("ONLY THE FAITHFUL!"). They are having their own novel series done by [[Josh Reynolds]]. Some of them have been infected by Nurgle's plagues, however their faith is so strong that it purifies their skin, causing their armor to be melted and permanently fused to them. They are occasionally aided by a winged, androgynous being called the Silver Saint who manifests from lakes and pools of water (aka [[Lileath]] trying her Lady of the Lake gimmick again).
*'''Celestial Vindicators:''' The Sixth Stormhost. ''Angry.'' They're vengeful motherfuckers who declared vengeance back as mortals, and then had 500 years to brood while they waited for Sigmar to find his front door keys. Their armour is turquoise with white trim, so the blood reaaaaally stands out. They also tend to kick it with the duardin, so that's pretty cool. Also, they have a sword fetish and revere a spirit called the Father of Blades, heavily implied to be the manifestation of the [[The Empire (Warhammer Fantasy)|Empire]]'s Runefangs combined into one being. Each Vindicator seeks to become a living weapon. Some of the better known herobros include Thostos Bladestorm and Arkas Warbeast.
*'''Celestial Knights:''' A Stormhost that is on a constant crusade to bring the light of Sigmar to all benighted lands. Pretty much these [[Black Templars|guys]].
*'''Lions of Sigmar:''' Rocking the bronze gold and purple look there is little-known about this Stormhost save for their heraldry and thunderous roar in battle. Most people auto-assume "[[Dark Angels]]" from hearing the word Lion, though the connection is iffy. The Dangles weren't the only chapter to keep to themselves to that degree.
*'''Knights of the Aurora:''' Sporting grey armour with green and gold trimmings, this Stormhost are claimed to strike more quickly and are masters of rapid assault, overall having the need for [[White Scars| speed]].
*'''Knights Excelsior:''' This Stormhost run around in white armour with blue and gold trimmings. These guys are said to have built up a fierce reputation for totally massacring their enemies so brutally that even other Stormhosts think its a bit excessive. Their claim to fame is that they stepped up to bail the Hallowed Knights out when a Lord of Plagues was about to capture Alarielle, with their Knight-Azyros, a pretty fly badass called Diomar, personally charging the powerful Nurgle lord. They have a massive hard-on for Order and see most attempts at individuality or freedom as dangerously Chaotic. Recently featured in the Malign Portents short story collection massacring unwell civilians in their attempt to instill uncompromising authority in the Realm of Life, despite the fact these civilians were loyal to Sigmar in the first place. One of their number, the White Reaper, is used by the Order of Azyr as the bogeyman to make rebellious nobles stay in line, to say it works extremely well gives you an idea of how scary these guys have become. When an order aligned human has a less than flattering opinion of the stormcast it's usually because they had a run in with these guys. [[Marines_Malevolent|Their extreme black and white morality and habit of slaughtering the innocent by the thousands seems to be turning popular opinion against Sigmar himself. Great job, guys.]]
*'''Celestial Warbringers:''' A Stormhost made entirely from the uplifted survivors of one human tribe who Sigmar really liked the look of. They wear burgundy armour with white trim. They have some prophetic juju going on that lets them see the hour of their death, which means if they're fighting in a battle that they didn't dream themselves get torn to shreds in, they fight with no fear. They're also pretty good fun to be around, feasting and drinking like frat boys at an all you can eat murder buffet. Remarkable insofar as they're the first host of the second striking, which means they get different shields and shoulder guards, because reasons. They also have more Sacrosanct Chambers than usual.
*'''Astral Templars:''' If you're tired of holy knights, go no further; these fuckers have taken to like it in the Realm of Ghur, and has become one with the beasts. Their color is purple, and their armor is adorned with pelts, bloody markings and other tribal stuff. To be allowed into the Templars, a warrior must be a hunter of beasts and monsters, which honestly isn't a big deal when they all come from Ghur, the Realm of Beasts! The [[Space Wolves]] to the Hammer's Ultramarines, but with less wolfs and more barbarians. They honour a godbeast called Ursricht, a giant white bear though he is often depicted as a white haired man. So an expy of [[Ulric]] and Ursun than.
*'''Tempest Lords:''' Donning the Ultramarine blue with an addition of white shields and shoulders are the Tempest Lords. They're described as the most regal and proud Stormhost, probably because every single one of these guys was a monarch, lord, or other such noble before being chosen by Sigmar. Despite this, they're actually pretty baller and down to earth guys, being perhaps the most selfless of all the Stormhosts, flat-out seeing it as their duty to protect those less fortunate than themselves (which is basically everyone,) often inspiring downtrodden mortal tribes to break their chains and fight Chaos alongside the Tempest Lords. They're also pretty literal it seems, because Sigmar once joked that the Stormcast were each worth twelve mortal men in a fight and since then the Tempest Lords have kept count of how many kills they score before dying, taking it as a massive personal disgrace if they don't reach twelve kills. That said, they do a pretty damn good job of reaching that score, leaving them as one of the hardest Stormhosts to kill simply due to their sheer pride refusing to let them die. Each one of these stormcast is a native of Hysh and follow the teachings of [[Myrmidia]], who they revere as much as Sigmar.
*'''Anvils of the Heldenhammer''' The Anvils of the Heldenhammer are a Stormhost of the Stormcast Eternals, wearing black armor. The warriors of the Anvils of the Heldenhammer are dark and brooding, as they aren't made from recently-dead heroes but from long dead warriors who've been resting in tombs and barrows for ages. Most of them are from Shyish as well, so death is central to their mindset - They see themselves as bringers of death, and if turned around against them, death is just another step in the defence of Sigmar's domain. Now that Papa Bones Nagash is getting his spotlight, the Anvils have to deal with him specifically... until Teclis and the Lumineth stole their thunder in the Broken Realms saga and trapped Nagash in his capital city.

===Notable Fan-created Stormhosts===

Help us expand this list:

*'''[[Forgesworn Eternals]]:''' A [[Dwarfs (Warhammer Fantasy)|Duardin]] Stormhost wearing silver and red.

*'''Wardens of the Ember:''' A Stormhost composed of mortals who died standing firm against the most insurmountable Chaos incursions. Former priests cut down mid-prayer, standard bearers who fought and died rather than abandon their colours, musicians who played songs of hope until their very last breath - stoutness of heart is often more important than strength of sword-arm in deciding whether a mortal is bound to this Stormhost. They wear grey armour with black and orange trim, and are notably more jovial than other Stormhosts; it is not uncommon to hear rousing speeches and booming laughter as these heroes urge their mortal comrades onwards.

==Notable Stormcasts==
*'''The Celestant-Prime:''' The alpha, the first Eternal ever forged by Sigmar. It's unknown just who he might be, but it's said he was a mighty king from the past (making people immediately guess <strike>either [[Settra the Imperishable|Settra]], or</strike> [[Karl Franz]]). Despite how much power he put into it, the process was still incomplete, so Sigmar decided to put him in a chamber to preserve the project because he spent too much as it is. However, once he recovered Ghal Maraz, he was able to finish the process and get a giant golden angel to join the ranks armed with the warhammer. Needless to say, he can easily wipe out any <strike>Chaos Lord</strike> Greater Daemon who has the misfortune of facing him. Recently got ganked by Nagash's newest Mortarch, Lady Olynder, while trying to keep an ancient evil and ally of Nagash contained. Not someone to fuck with, seeing as it took a personal champion of Nagash to take him down for the first time while he was busy with an Eldritch Abomination. Also this beast one-shot a Daemon the size of a country with supernova-level force.

*'''Vandus Hammerhand:''' The first named hero among the Eternals, a Lord-Celestant of the Hammers of Sigmar who rides a Dracoth. Apparently, he once fought off against a Khornate Lord known as Korghos Khul as a mortal and almost died before being forged, and instead became a giant gold-plated badass instead of just a human one. He's considered the hero of the Starter Set and is responsible for finding Ghal Maraz. Also, he was the first one to tame a Dracoth. Currently having visions where he sees his future self, who has been Reforged so many times that he has lost all physical form and become an emotionless being made out of pure lightning (what the Stormcast call a lightning gheist), warning him about what would happen if the Stormcasts cannot fix their flaw.

*'''Bastian Carthalos:''' The Lord Commander of the Hammers of Sigmar, shining pillar of black excellence, probably sounds like the Allstate guy. As a mortal, he fought alongside Sigmar during the battle that began the Age of Chaos. Tried to fight Archaon and got utterly fucking mauled by his mount Dorghar, but managed to limp back to Azyr alive, the last to do so before Dollar Store Thor closed off the realm entirely. Jokes aside, Sigmar was impressed by his resilience and went to work reforging him. Yet the mount of Archaon bit deep and even now there is a massive gaping wound in his chest, with only the crackling essence of the Ninth Great Bolt Skjordamar keeping Bastian alive. After his reforging he led the effort purging any Chaos, Destruction, or Death taint from the realm of Azyr and for doing such a great job was made Lord Commander of the Ultra-I mean Hammers of Sigmar. Was stationed in Azyr 'coordinating the war effort' for a good long time but has re-entered the fray in light of current events. Recently went to confront 'something' in the Stormvault below Hammerhal Aqsha and came out even blacker than before and with a fraction of his men, so that's probably not a good sign.

*'''Neave Blacktalon:''' The first female stormcast released for the setting. Neave Blacktalon is basically an eversor with tits, with the mentality of a vindicare. As a mortal she was raised from childhood by a particularly vicious Tribe of Sylvaneth. They basically raised her to be an assassin and all around mean bitch ala Xena warrior princess. Unfortunately, her first target was a chaos lord way out of her league and she would have died had Sigmar not decided she'd make a great stormcast. She's now set to get a Warhammer+ show, where she seems concerned that something from her pre-Stormcast life could be coming back to spell doom for the forces of Order, and is going up against the upper echelons of the Stormcasts in an effort to get her memories back and find out who she was.

*'''[[Gardus Steel-Soul|Gardus Steel-Soul]]:''' Lord Celestant of the Hallowed Knights Stormhost. The best (by fan-view, not author fiat) of the Lord Celestants. What makes Gardus great is that he was no great lord, but a common man. Born Garradan, he was a hospice worker (a doctor for young uns) in the port city of Demesnus. When the forces of chaos invaded the city, he worked tirelessly to heal the defenders, spending whole nights without sleep. As the forces of Khorne shattered the walls and attacked the hospital the tired hospice worker took a chandelier (showing brass balls in the process) and tried to save his patients with good old ultra violence. The rest... is history.

*'''Lorrus Grymn:''' Former Lord Castellant of the Hallowed Knights, and a close friend to Gardus Steelsoul. The only other Hallowed Knight to fight Gardus to a standstill in the Gladitorium Arena, Grymn was a master defensive strategist and often an instructor for many fellow Knights. Fought in the Realmgate Wars during the Hallowed Knights' conquests against Nurgle in Ghyran. Helped lead the defense of Vindicarum when Be'lakor besieged the city during the Broken Realms Saga. Is snatched up by Be'lakor and killed in front of Gardus. His soul is not beamed back to Azyr due to Be'lakor's storm of Chaos, and is permanently dead. RIP.

*'''Yndrasta''': One of several renowned Stormcast personally forged by Sigmar himself, like [[Idoneth Deepkin|Teclis did with the Cythai aelves]] and his hunting champion. She ranks below the Celestant-Prime but far above most Stormcast, and is considered near-mythical. Unlike most Stormcast, her wings look completely avian and she lacks a descriptive last name. She rocks some ornate armor personally made by Grungni, making her look awesome depending on how you feel about Half shaved hairstyles. In her mortal life, Yndrasta was a warrior queen from Ghur, skilled with sword and spear and a renowned monster hunter. During the Age of Chaos, a Chaos army attacked her hometown and she soloed the Chaos Lord leading it in an attempt to save them. But despite getting a good hit with her spear he was too much for her and would've died if not for Sigmar. Recently, she's been tasked by Sigmar himself with killing the newly freed Destruction god, Kragnos. Ironically, she's got a few things in common with Khorne's waifu, Valkia, as both are spear-wielding warrior queens reformed after hopeless battles into immortal, inspiring winged warriors by an Odin-esque god. She behaves like a cat, bringing trophies from her kills and throwing them at Sigmar's throne during meetings then leaving without saying a word.

*'''Thostos Bladestorm:''' Footslogging Lord Celestant of the Celestial Vindicators. Impulsive jackass. Died a couple of times so now Nagash has part of his soul, he still wants to give Chaos a beating. During a battle with a Chaos Lord Varash, Thostos was hit with extremely powerful lighting bolt which triggered a powerful reforging and the results of it was the return of his memories, emotions and a name he once was - Prince Caeran of Wolf Keep (this happening is more proof of Nagash being made of much fail, seriously, how did this ever happen?). Apparently he is now the first Stormcast to be renewed, healed and with fresh purpose but not the last. In the final days of the Realmgate Wars he fought in the Battle for the All-Gates and crossed blades with Archaon, it went as well as you'd expect it to and Thostos is officially lost forever.

*'''Tarsus Bullheart:''' Footslogging Lord Celestant of the Hallowed Knights, leader of a warrior chamber named after him. Broody guy who's obsessed with duty and lets his hammer do the talking for him. Once a human from the realm of Shyish called Tarsem, he lived in a place called Helstone. During the Age of Chaos he fought alongside (and befriended) Mannfred Von Carstein but Mannfred fled leaving Tarsem to get ganked by a Bloodthirster before Sigmar saved him. Sigmar later sent him and some of his warriors to Shyish to parley with Nagash. Along the way they found Mannfred and freed him from a Khornate warband in exchange for his assistance. After entering the underworld and an incident with Arkhan, Nagash appeared before them. This goes as well as you'd expect and all the surviving Stormcast save Tarsus were killed by Nagash. Tarsus managed to distract Nagash and free their souls, but then Nagash killed Tarsus and captured his soul to [[Grimdark|torture him for dirt on Sigmar, and by the time Nagash was done Tarsus was a gibbering wreck]]. Eventually Ramus, Gardus and freaking Mannfred broke into Nagasshizar and demanded Tarsus's Freedom. Nagash freed Tarsus, who was of no more use to him, and Tarsus was promptly mercy killed in the hope that reforging would cure his madness. The novel "Soul Wars" revealed that as Tarsem he had a fiance, and said fiance was so mad about him being Sigmarined that upon her own death she let Nagash turn her into a Nighthaunt executioner to get revenge for losing him. Notable in that he managed to not only form a genuine friendship with Mannfred Von Carstein but get him to feel genuine guilt for betraying him.

*'''Ramus of the Shadowed Soul:''' Lord-Relictor of the Bullhearts warrior chamber and protagonist of the second set of Realmgate Wars audio-dramas. Once voice of reason to Tarsus and completely trusting in Sigmar and his grand plan, after Tarsus was lost to Nagash Ramus has been pressing for a mission to rescue his soul, despite the fact that at the moment Nagash and Sigmar are allies. The other Hallowed Knights are trying to get him to leave it alone and trust in Sigmar, but he hasn't been able to thus far. With Malign Portents pretty much destroying any alliance between Sigmar and Nagash, Ramus gets his chance to rescue Tarsus after all and puts aside his grudge against Mannfred with much difficulty.

*'''Tornus the Redeemed:''' Once known as Torglug the Despised, servant of Nurgle and Lord of Plagues, his soul was redeemed by Sigmar at the height of the last battle at Blackstone Summit in the realm of Ghyran when killed by Ghal Maraz in the hands of the Celestant-Prime. During his brief life as a mortal, Tornus was a righteous believer in Sigmar and his faith was unmatched by those that fought with him during the Age of Chaos against the nurgle invaders. At some point he was captured and left in a pit of filth and due to his stubbornness, faith and pride lived for many weeks only to succumb to the lies that Nurgle spoke to him during those months of captivity. Even then his soul, although corrupted and twisted, held out a spark of hope that his faith in Sigmar was not a lie and was rewarded with a chance for redemption as a Knight-Venator in services of the Hallowed Knights, <strike> [[Awesome|this is so far as we know the first comeback from Chaos ever done in any of GeeDubs franchises]].</strike> Captain Leonatos of the Blood Angels (Read the Blood Quest Trilogy) actually did it first, but this is the first time it has happened outside 40k. Is currently forming his own group of ex-Chaos Stormcasts, much to the suspicion of other Stormcasts, including his own Lord Castellant Grymn.

*'''[[Hamilcar Bear Eater|Hamilcar Bear-Eater]]:''' Astral Templars' Lord Castellant turned Knight-Questor. Hamilcar is, to put it short, a lovely braggart, claiming even Sigmar was impressed the result of his stormcasting, also, it seems like he has an uncanny resemblance with the God-King. Currently he's on a hunt for Mannfred Von Carstein over backstabbing Tarsus. Got his own series by his creator David Guymer! Did we mention he beat a gatling-gun-armed skaven killakan while under sniper fire?

*'''[[Balthazar Gelt|Balthas Arum]]:''' An Anvils of the Heldenhammer Lord-Arcanum. Revealed to be [[Balthazar Gelt]] reborn as a Stormcast, which was heavily suggested in the novel and he is explicitly recognized as such by Nagash (who said that he looks forward to the possibility of having Aurum serve him [[The End Times|a second time]]). He still has his arrogance, mount Quicksilver, and a preference and talent for C[[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure|hamon Magic]] over any other. Considered to be the best mage of all the Anvils of the Heldenhammer and possibly all the Stormcasts, which makes some sense given who he used to be. His only real friend is Tyros Firemane of the Hallowed Knights who Balthus felt an instinctive kinship with despite being a surly loner around everyone else. Tyros is a Lord-Arcanum who specialises in fire magic, has a fiery red beard, and prefers to get his hands dirty exploring lost tombs and ancient cities rather than study. Like Balthas though, he feels a connection with the World-That-Was and thinks he may have lived there in a past life. This guy was most likely Thyrus Gormann, Gelt's friend/rival from the Old World. Pretty cool huh? Did Sigmar arrange it so that these two would meet again or are souls from the old world instinctively drawn to one another? Perhaps somewhere in the realms Kurt Hellborg and Ludwig Shwarzhelm are fighting side by side again in fancy new Stormcast duds.

*'''Settrus:''' A Lord Celestant leading a chamber called the "Imperishables" and who holds a massive grudge against Nagash. [[Settra the Imperishable|Three guesses who this guy use to be]]. Has a reputation for getting shit done and commands the respect and obedience of guys like Hamilcar Bear-Eater through sheer gravitas and force of will alone. Was on route to reinforce Glymmsforge in Shyish. Almost certainly doesn't remember much of his past life, as that's the only way he would serve ''anyone''. Unfortunately GW's higher-ups banning usage of Settra got the character nixed.

*'''Gavriel Sureheart:''' A named Lord Celestant of the Hammers of Sigmar who GW started selling one day and didn't bother explaining his deal until 2nd Edition. Grew up as a gladiator slave named "Grub" at the Khornate fortress of Ratspike. One month into his gladiator career, he killed Ratspike's king with a spear chuck and kicked off a short-lived rebellion, being saved by Sigmar at the last moment (like most Stormcast). Currently the only sword-and-board foot LC and known for never wearing a helmet (and looking like Tommy Wiseau).

*'''Arkas Warbeast:''' A Lord Celestant of the Celestial Vindicators and one of two protagonists in Gav Thorpe's ''Warbeast'' novel. Sent back to Ghur and the tribes he once ruled as the mortal Arka Bearclaw, he has a huge, angry boner for smashing skaven to bits, especially one Verminlord who withered his mum to death. A self proclaimed brute with some special connection to the energy of Ghur, his chamber has a reputation for being wild and ill disciplined. He gets even more RAAAAGE after his beat down, but is at least able to control and direct it productively, unlike Thostos.

*'''The Shadespire Warbands:'''
#'''Steelheart's Champions:''' A Liberator Prime and his two flatmates who went into [[Warhammer Underworlds|Shadespire]] to get a cure for the Reforging issues that plague the Stormcasts, but never made it out. The Champions are Obryn the Bold, a massive dude who's into his third Reforging and has become silent and brooding as a result, and Angharad Brightshield, a female Liberator and former smith who took to smashing in faces with hammers instead of smashing swords and metal.
#'''The Farstriders:''' A warband of three Vanguard Hunters in Shadespire. The Prime, Sanson Farstrider, has an accompanying star falcon, whereas his subordinates, Almeric Eagle-Eye and Elias Swiftblade, wield a shock axe and storm sabre respectively.
#'''Stormsire's Cursebreakers:''' Two Evocators and their Knight Incantor leader, set to Shadespire to seek out a cure for reforging-induced flaws. Averon Stormsire is a specialist of breaking curses, Rastus the Charmed fights with fathomless contempt, and Ammis Dawnguard treats her role with holy reverence.
#'''Ironsoul's Condemnors:''' Named versions of the Easy Build Sequitors. (more details when Dreadfane drops)

==Soulbound==
Stormcast Eternals naturally were a playable species from the get-go in [[Age of Sigmar Roleplay]]. Unusually, though, they are technically distinct from the Soulbound adventurers who make up the other playable species - Stormcast Eternals are already spiritually bound to [[Sigmar]] himself, and as such can't undergo the soul-melding Rite of [[Binding]] that creates a normal Soulbound adventurer... who, in turn, can never become a Stormcast Eternal themselves. For this reason, Stormcast Eternals are always, in a sense, outsiders to the adventuring parties of Soulbound (or "bindings" as they are known) - they are allies who join the Binding for their own reasons (or, more likely, are ordered to join) and this can leads to a certain amount of distrust. But not always. For every Stormcast Eternal who wonders why such "great heroes" weren't simply made into Stormcast Eternals, there is another who embraces their similar-yet-different allies with open arms, content to trust Sigmar's judgment and admiring heroism no matter the form it takes.

The ''Champions of Order'' supplement includes the following stormhosts for a Stormcast hero to hail from:
*'''Hammers of Sigmar:''' Naturally, the posterboys of the Stormcast are frequently assigned to aid a band of Soulbound in overcoming particular trials that would otherwise trouble them. They are also incredibly stubborn, incapable of yielding. Heroes of the Hammers of Sigmar have been reforged additional times, considering how they were among the first stormcast to have been made. In addition, if they are reduced to 0 toughness, they and nearby allies add extra die equal to the hero's Determination to all attacks, which is doubled when the hero is mortally wounded.
*'''Hallowed Knights:''' Being the most devout of the Stormcast, the Hallowed Knights constantly seek to test their faith against the most grueling of trials. Though their insistence to emulate their god-king irks other Soulbound, their dedication to withstanding any manner of trial earns the undying support of their companions and other peoples they help. Heroes of the Hallowed Knights know a single miracle (either universal or of Sigmar) that they can use despite not having the Devoted talent, though the talent is now available to all archetypes.
*'''Celestial Vindicators:''' Being a very violent and vengeful Stormhost means that they do not often find themselves assigned to join the Soulbound on any adventures. However, those that do join tend to cage up their simmering anger, often to the point where they can explode into a bloodthirsty rage once in combat. Heroes of the Celestial Vindicators must select one type of enemy to hate - they deal +1 damage to enemies of that type. In addition, the Old Enemy talent is now available to all archetypes, but it must be against the enemy they chose to hate.
*'''Anvils of the Heldenhammer:''' This Stormhost are often made of ancient heroes legendary warriors plucked from the realm of Shyish, much to Nagash's ire and to the frequent curiosity of the Soulbound they fight alongside (who tend to think that these guys are reincarnations of ancient ancestors or something). Because of this ever-present threat, these Stormcast are more than a little open-minded and seek to avoid dying if they can help it. Heroes of the Anvils of the Heldenhammer ignore the stunned condition that being mortally wounded entails and have an easier time dealing with Death tests. However, if they fail a Death test even once, they die immediately as the skelepope gobbles their soul up again.
*'''Knights Excelsior:''' This Stormhost excels at the application of total warfare, seeking the utter decimation of the enemy by throwing absolutely everything at them. This also means that they adopt a very myopic viewpoint of things, viewing others as either good or evil with very little middle-ground, and even those Stormcast that join Soulbound have been known to hold their mortal allies to such high standards that they may even execute those allies that fall short. Heroes of the Knights Excelsior that undertake any endeavor or action to reduce Doom reduces it by an additional 2. However, they suffer a serious disadvantage on Guile or Intuition checks when dealing with a particularly shady individual and may in fact outright refuse to deal with such folks.
*'''Celestial Warbringers:''' Due to the vast Sacrosanct chambers of this Stormhost, they are more adept at reading particular omens, often allowing them to predict when their deaths may come. Many of them are brought to the Aqshian city of Brightspear, where they clash with the forces of Tzeentch. These troubles often see them join hands with Soulbound looking to make a difference in the war effort. Heroes of the Celestial Warbringers can predict if a day will not spell their doom. Doing so improves their melee and accuracy by one step for the day. However, if they are mortally wounded, they will fear that the portents went awry, and Death tests become more difficult.

As of ''Era of the Beast'', there are also special backgrounds only available to the Draconith due to their unique origins rather than the chambers.
*'''Starborn Clutch:''' The most familiar case, these are the Draconith who were raised by the Slann in special trans-dimensional spaces. Being raised by the super star-frogs and their Lizardmen, these Draconith tend to be the ones most aware of the Great Plan and of all sorts of academic knowledge, but this comes at the cost of their utter naivete in regard to more practical knowledge. Draconith of a Starborn Clutch are given +2 XP to use for training on the Arcana and Channeling skills.
*'''Realmborn Clutch:''' Some Draconith that survived that fateful war with Kragnos went with Karazai the Scarred and hid within the Realm of Beasts, seeking to strengthen themselves and their future generations. This sort of upbringing has made them savage and impulsive, following the strongest heroes and hunting down the forces of Destruction. Draconith of a Realmborn Clutch are given +2 XP to use for training on the Weapon Skill and Might skills.

Stormcast Eternals have access to the following archetypes in the corebook: '''Knight-Azyros''', '''Knight-Incantor''', '''Knight-Questor''', '''Knight-Venator'''. The ''Champions of Order'' splatbook adds the '''Knight-Zephyros''' as an Archetype. The ''Era of the Beast'' splat introduces the '''Knight-Judicator''', '''Knight-Relictor''', and '''Knight-Vexillor''' Archetypes, but this book also introduces the '''Errant Draconith''' as a Draconith-exclusive Archetype.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Ugh_Oaf_Ziggy_Scale.jpg|Compare and contrast.
Sigmarine_Stormbanner.png|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-MzNpMD1K8 GROUND MARINES! CHARGE!]
Sigmarine_by_kimplate-d92h94a.png|Only thing missing are pseudo-bolters and they're officially Sigmarines, [https://www.games-workshop.com/resources/catalog/product/600x620/99120218002_StormcastEternalsJudicators012.jpg then you remember that they do.]
THIS_IS_SIGMARON!.png|[http://1d4chan.org/images/c/cc/Cato_Fall_of_Damnos.JPG This looks oddly familiar.]
Sigmarine_Jetpacks.png|Ground Marine [[Assault Squad]]s.
Sigmarines_VS_Khorne_Again.png|In the grim darkness of the far past, there is only war.
Sigmarine_VS_Khorne.png|Ground Marines vs Chaos Ground Marines.
Stormcast_Victory.png|Victory for the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|God Empero-]]..err, [[Sigmar|God-King of man!]]
Sigbrarian.jpg|A Ground Marine Lord Relictor.
Sigmarine_Logical_Conclusion.jpg|The venerable Lord Celestant Boreale, giving one of his glorious speeches.
SpaceEternals.png|One of these is not like the others...
Stormcast_eternal_by_kinmonon.jpg|You can now have your canonical Stormcast waifu, drawn by one Kinmonon.
Female-prosecutor.png|Isn't it great that unlike Emprah Sigmar has no problems allowing girls in his elite forces?
KnightAzyros.jpg|"I will Lamp you....with a Lamp!!!"
</gallery>

==See Also==
*[[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Order/Stormcast Eternals|Tactics/Stormcast Eternals]]
*[[Space Marines]] - Their 40K counterparts. Compare and contrast.
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmGeTjz49bo A quick overview on the stormcast eternals]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs-Jli8DkIs The price of immortality]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-MzNpMD1K8 Birth of the Stormcast Eternals]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9We2XsVZfc If you're using the Sacrosant chamber and versing Nighthaunt armies, play this for maximum lulz.]
{{Template:Playable Factions in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar}}

[[Category: Age of Sigmar]]

Soulblight Gravelords

2023-06-08T11:23:21Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Soulblight Gravelords|Logo=Gravelords.png|Alliance=Death|Motto= I HAVE COME TO SUCK YOUR BANK ACCOUNT!!!!}}
{{Topquote|We enjoy the night, the darkness, where we can do things that aren't acceptable in the light. Night is when we slake our thirst.|William Hill}}

The '''Soulblight Gravelords''' are the new, trademark friendly AoS interpretation of the [[Vampire Counts]] and replacement for Legions of Nagash. With Nagash getting his skull caved in again, his servants are now free to run wild and go about their own machinations. Chief among them are of course the vampire lords, eager to sink their fangs into new prey.

==History==
===Age of Myth===
After the arrival of Nagash in the Mortal Realms and his tenuous alliance with Sigmar, Nagash's first aim was the conquering of the Realm of Shysish for his own. At this time many other Gods of Death existed that actively challenged Nagash for dominance with some even actively looking to bring death to all other gods and the living (an idea Nagash himself would take interest in later on). Nagash's supreme skill in summoning the Legions of the Dead proved invaluable as underworld after underworld fell to his control. Eventually almost all the other Death Gods that could challenge him were either killed, imprisoned, or fled into hiding (in the case of Morrda), leaving Nagash the supreme ruler of the realm.

During these conquests, Nagash begrudgingly conceded that he could not marshal all his forces at once nor be on every battlefront simultaneously, and his vizier Arkan the Black just wasn't enough. He needed generals, spies, and confidants that still had what Nagash loathed in other beings: free will. Thus, he started actively courting Necromancers, Wight Kings and generals among the living to lead his armies. At this time as well he decided to revive the long-destroyed race of vampires, having remembered their use in the world-that-was. Retrieving the lost soul fragments of Neferata, Mannfred and Ushoran, he brought them back into existence to serve him once again as Mortarches.

Eventually Ushoran displeased Nagash and was imprisoned for his troubles (to see how that story ended up check out the [[Flesh-Eater Courts]]), but Neferata and Mannfred would go on to sire the first Vampires of the Mortal Realms who would serve Nagash's (and their) wills, with Neferata founding her personal kingdom of Neferatia and Mannfredd in Carstinia (though he would go on to despise the place). These initial Vampires served directly under the the newly established Legions of Blood and Legions of Night, but as the Soulblight Vampire empires spread throughout the realms and new vampires were sired, subcultures and new dynasties began to form. All vampires, being very independent by nature, eventually led to branch-off bloodlines forming and going off on their own to establish their own bloodlines and empires. These took many different forms, from kingdoms of the living and dead, to alliances with Wight Kings and Deathrattle kingdoms, or simply as roaming marauders who preyed on the living and dead alike. Nagash and the Mortarchs for the most part paid them little mind unless they conflicted with their own agendas, with these branch-offs eventually becoming the first soulblight dynasties (one of the most prominent being the Vyrkos).

Unfortunately for Nagash, internal rivalries between dynasties and individual Soulblight Vampires began to form, the biggest being the renewed conflicts between Neferata and Mannfred for dominance and Nagash's favour. The two Mortarchs often utilizing the new Dynasties as proxies in their squabbles. Though both had to be more wary, as new generations of Soulblight began to take sights on the two founding vampires and potential ways to claim their positions as Nagash's elite. All vampires in one way or another also looked secretly for ways to free themselves permanently from Nagash's dominion (Mannfred especially), as on some level all the Soulblight realized that their very existence as free-minded individuals was something Nagash ultimately wished to purge from reality, and dreaded the day he decided he no longer needed them.

===Age of Chaos===
During the invasion of Chaos the Soulblight Gravelords did what they could to push back the chaos hordes. At the very beginning atleast they had common cause with the rest of Sigmars Pantheon. The Legion of Blood and Legion of Night were the main spearhead against the chaos hordes. With Neferatas spy network usually staying ahead of enemy movements and Mannfreds clever tactics reaping a heavy toll of the chaos armies. However this momentum began to stall as the various Dynasties and Soulblight empires began to lose cohesion as they could not coordinate properly. As many Vampire lords and Wight Kings would only really listen to Nagash or the Mortarchs, and they couldn't be everywhere at once. Leading to various forces to either fend only for themselves or abandon elsewhere allies.

To make matters worse Nagash decided to abandon Sigmar's forces in trying to control the Allgate to Shyish. A betrayal that cost Sigmar dearly and led him to launch a crusade into Shyish to punish Nagash. Which led to a great deal of calamities to occur; with Sigmar's siege leading to the freeing of Ushoran, Katakros (Nagash greatest general) to be struck down and led to the raizing of countless undead armies and Dynasties. Eventaully Sigmar recalled his forces to partake in the Battle of the Burning Skies that ultimately led to Sigmar abandoning the war to close of Azyr. Unfortuantely this meant that Nagash was alone in facing the full force of Chaos. A vast army spearheaded by Archaon himself eventually besieged Nagashizar itself leading to the defeat of Nagash and the nuking of the Realm of Death capital.

After this event the Mortarchs spearheaded by Arkhan the Black managed to steal back Nagash's remains before he could be destroyed permanently (in additon to stopping an attempted betrayal by Prince Vhordrai of permantly destroying Nagash's remains) and went into hiding so Nagash could recover. Following this any remaining cohesion between the various Soulblight Dynasties collapsed with every Vampire, Wight King and Necromancer essentially out for themselves simply trying to survive the chaos hordes. Ultimately Neferata would go into hiding in her capital in Nualamia and Mannfred would begin a centuries long guerilla war against the chaos invaders as they conquered the realm of Shyish virtually unchallenged. Most other Soulblight forces (such as the Vyrkos) spent the next few centuries hiding and striking at the chaos forces as best they could with most of the underworlds falling to chaos control.

===Age of Sigmar===

With the coming of Sigmar's tempest the various Soulblight Forces used the confusion from the Stormcast Eternals invasion to push back against the Chaos forces where ever they could. In some rare examples Sigmar's forces even attempted to forge alliances with the Soulblight forces where the could, since they shared a common enemy. Prominent examples include The Anvils of the Heldenhammer attempting to aid Neferata's nation of Neferatia as her capital of Nulahmia was being besieged by Slaaneshi chaos forces. Or Manfred making several temporary alliances with the Hallowed Knights stormhost (with one time even assisting them in freeing an old ally who has since become a Stormcast). While fruitful around this time, Nagash had finally recovered from his defeat by Archaon and set about forbidding any of his minions forming alliances with Sigmar; who he openly accused of Soul-theivery (among other imagined slights). Beyond this the forces of death mostly kept to themselves, neither supporting nor antagonizing most new settlers from Azyr. This would change eventually.

====Soul Wars====
Unbenouced to most (in fact even few among the Soulblight themselves), Nagash had over a period of thousands of years been working on enancting a grand ritual that would leave him dominant among all reality. Since the age of Myth Arkhan the Black had been directing vast skelatal legions to bring the gravesand (Shyish realmstone) from the edges of the realm to its center to enact a grand ritual that would alter the effects of magic in the Realm of Shyish to make the center the most infused with magic rather than the edges, in addition this grand ritual would also send out so much death magic throughout the other realms it would instantly kill all living beings and revive them all as undead, rendering Nagash the supreme ruler of all the realms and allow him to finally drive back chaos.

Which would have been great for him except his plans being leaked to the other great powers through prophetic visions leading to his capital being besieged, which Arkhan himself defended against, all of which served as the perfect distraction for a group of skaven to infiltrate his pyramid at the center of the ritual and mess it up. Causing death magic to instead spread throughout the other realms in an event known as the "Necroquake". It didn't wipe out the living as intended, but it did cause mass summoning of undead forces throughout all the realms along with causing magic to become highly unstable (leading to the dawn of endless spells). Legions of Zombies rose instantly, and Nighthaunt legions became more common than ever before. Nagash also mangaed to still harness a substantial amonunt of death magic from the newly created Shyish Nadir at the center of the realm and began his campaign of conquest. The various Soulblight commanders quickly acted to take control of these newly risen forces for both Nagash's and their own ends.

The Soulblight legions themselves were also greatly empowered from the vast increase in death magic throughout the realms, with their armies and power swelling like never before. Using this the various dynasties began encroaching on both rival and living kingdoms as Nagash had officially declared war on Sigmars burgeoning empires. After so long they could finally war and prey upon whoever they so choose, with blood and plunder in abundance as never before, indeed this was a time of death. Nagash even released Prince Vhordrai from his imprisonment to lead the Kastelai dynasty against Sigmar, though bond eternally to his keep. However things wern't all going great for them. The newly formed Nighthaunt legions had quickly taken the Soulbligts place as both shocktroops and terror weapons. And during the course of the soul wars Katakros, Nagsh general from centuries had been released from a Stormvault in one of the campaigns of the war. Now in control of the newly released Ossiarch Bonereapers that had now taken the place as Nagash vanguard elite. The various Soulblight armies soon found themselves regulated to auxiliary allies and garrisons in Nagash's overall campaign against the living. Worse still the Ossairchs vary existence as free-thinking individuals that were also completely loyal to Nagash created a existential fear in the Vampires especially (were they allies or replacements?).

This all eventually culminated with Nagash finally overreaching and attempting to plunge multiple realms into the Shyish Nadir by corrupting several realmgates leading to it. Manfred and Neferata played along though neither truly was committed to the task (Mannfred even intending for his attempt to fail). This caused Teclis and his Lumineth legions to directly confront Nagash leading to a major war that led to the devestation of the Ossiarch Legions and Nagash personally being cast down by Teclis who had lured him into a trap in Hysh were he was set upon by Teclis, Celenar and the armies of Settlers Gain. His body was shattered and banished to Shyish. And though exhausted Teclis wove a grand spell that finally ended the Necroquake and the rampant death magic thorughout the realms. The Soul Wars had ended.

====Era of the Beast====
With the dawning of the Era of the Beast from the return of [[Kragnos]] and the forces of Destruction on the ascendant, the Soulblight lords acutally had a cause for celebration. Though the death magics of the Necroquake had ended it did have some benefits for them. Without the rampant magics of Nagash's ritual, the Nighthaunt Processions were greatly weakened as Nighthaunt require large amounts of Amethyst magic to maintain their forms, and thus more restricted on targets they can assault, slowing their advances. The Ossiarch legions were greatly depleted in the wars against Chaos worshippers and the Lumineth Realm-lords. And since the Flesh-Eater Courts were less organized, the Soulblight Gravelords now were on the rise once again in Shyish and beyond. Even better, Nagash was once again crippled and regenerating, meaning he wasn't directly overseeing their actions. The vampires who didn't want Nagash's oversight mockingly gave praise and toasts to Teclis for getting him out of their hair (if only temporarily).

The various Soulblight dynasties seek to keep up the momentum they had during the Soul Wars and continue the growth of their empires; the rise in Ghyrish beast magic that is spreading throughout the realms from Kragnos return and Alarielle's Rite of Life has impeded this somewhat. The beast magic caused many vampires to become feral and monstrous (some who took the brunt of the Ghurish magic even mutating into savage monsters), and threatening to erode the control they desperately seek to maintain. This a major issue for many vampires as if they cannot control these urges they risk devolving into Vargiests or worse. The Avengorii Dynasty in particular was hit very hard by this malignancy, as many of its members are already Vargiests or Vengorian lords and teetering on the brink of outright savagery. Now their Matriarch Lauka Vai is trying the best she can to keep them in line, and not turning on themselves. These efforts are woven from practicality; [[Grimdark|she doesn't want to become a complete and utter monster only living for the sweet taste of flesh]].

With Nagash's perishable absence, Arkhan disappeared along with Katakros and Olynder indifference to their politics, the various Soulblight armies have lost all internal cohesion. With every Lord and dynasty all vying for territory and power. Even Mannfred and Neferata have renewed their power struggle with each other and are the verge of full-out war. And Prince Vhordrai is again contemplating making another attempt to free himself from Nagash's curse, along with many wiser vampires using this opportunity to again look for ways to free themselves from Nagash permanently.

==Legions and Dynasties==
Replacing the bloodlines of old, vampires in AoS now belong to dynasties, which are principally a political organization or a court of vampires from numerous backgrounds/bloodlines that all swear fealty to a patriarch/matriarch that define’s that dynasty’s culture. Most vampires can trace their lineage to the Legions of Night and Blood, who are unquestionably the oldest and most powerful of vampiric factions. So large in fact, that multiple dynasties of vampires exist within the two legions.
*'''Legion of Night''': The old [[Von Carstein]] bloodline, led by (who else) Mannfred von Carstein. Arrogant glory-hogs who prefer to bog down enemies with waves of undead minions so the vampire commanders can swoop in for the killing blow. Originally specializing in terror tactics, when the Nighthaunt [[Meme|terk their jerbs]], Mannfred re-purposed them into the tactical Soulblight Legion. Fitting their master’s sneakier tactics, the Legion makes frequent use of Varghiests for ambushing enemies or running down the wounded and afraid.
*'''Legion of Blood''': The old [[Lahmian]] bloodline, led by (who else) Neferata. Cunning and alluring, they prefer the theatre of political intrigue and schemes, but are still very dangerous in combat thanks to their unnatural speed and grace. They also have a particular fondness for their Deathrattle minions, who in turn fight harder when under the gaze of their vampiric masters. They tend to mess with their opponents' heads.
There are some noteworthy dynasties that have come into prominence over the years and have gone on to expand their influence across the realms.
*'''Kastelai''': Essentially the descendants to the [[Abhorash|Blood Dragons]]. A knightly order of vampires loyal to Prince Vhordrai, they follow their banished prince out from their “Crimson Keep” to slaughter and butcher all in their path. They prioritize martial prowess above all else, even going as far as being willing to bargain the lives of an innocent village should they use some kind of weapon or fighting style that is new to them... though given these are long-lived vampires you can imagine such an outcome is quite rare.
*'''Avengorii''': Monstrous beast hunters from Ghur who are looked down upon by the other dynasties for their feral appearance and nature. They’re most famous for their draconic centaur lower halves, which was given to them after they exposed themselves to the full brunt of the Necroquake. The dynasty was once led by a brutal patriarch called Ghorvar, but he was usurped (gutted like a fish) by Lauka Vai, to which the rest of the dynasty had no qualms against. Roughly analogous to the Strigoi given their feral nature - the actual Strigoi broke off and [[Flesh-Eater Courts|started their own Death faction]] - and with a little bit of Blood Dragons thrown in, the Avengorii are still their own thing.
*'''Vyrkos''': A shamanistic like culture with ties to a lupine Godbeast as well as Nagash. This connection leads to the Vyrkos vampires developing [[Gangrel|animal like features and control over them too]], wolves being the most common of creature they tend to favor. Gameplay wise they have a pack mentality and reward playing like a bunch of wolves on the prowl.
*'''Tengorez:''' A Dynasty that doesn’t have any rules (yet). They’re seemingly based off of the [[Necrarch]]s, in that they’re described as withered masters of sorcery. They live in the crystal caves of [[Hysh]], coming out to swipe magical war engines to turn into their own necromantic constructs.

==Notorious Vampires==
*'''[[Neferata]], Mortarch of Blood''': The original vampire and mistress of manipulation.
*'''[[Mannfred von Carstein]], Mortarch of Night''': The bald asshole who destroyed the Old World.
*'''[[Prince Vhordrai]]''': A Vampire Lord that tried/failed to overthrow Nagash, and got cursed to be bound to a magic castle that Nagash teleports near people he wants slaughtered, earning Vhordrai the (mocking) title of “Fist of Nagash”. Vhordrai and the Kastelai dynasty within his “Crimson Keep” only have a short time to feast upon mortal blood before the castle is once again flung into the Void, so they fight with a desperate level of savagery. The Prince also rides into battle aboard a Zombie Dragon called Shordemaire.
*'''[[Lauka Vai, the Mother of Nightmares]]''': Matriarch of the Avengorii dynasty and a terrifying mixture of bloodthirsty savagery and honorable knighthood. She originally was a noble monster hunter that garnered the respect of friend and foe alike, until a fateful encounter with the Disciples of Tzeentch horribly mutated her into the vampire-dragon-centaur beast that now defines her and her dynasty.
*'''[[Belladamma Volga, First of the Vyrkos]]''': Matriarch of the Vyrkos dynasty. An ancient vampire with an unmatched affinity for Direwolves. Has the ability to transform men into wolves, with her personal mount even rumored to be [[Furry|her former lover]]. She is so ancient, the denizens of Shyish have created multiple myths and folktales about her origins and actions.
*'''[[Radukar the Wolf]]''': The uncontested ruler of [[Warhammer Quest: Cursed City|Ulfenkarn]]. A large and brutal vampire lord with a fondness for pelts to match his werewolf-like mutations. As a mortal, he once plundered the coasts aboard his vessel the ''Impaler’s Gift'' and his Ogor crew, until he came upon the tomb of the vampiric emperor Morkan. Radukar slew and skinned the two headed wolf Vilnas that guarded the tomb and claimed an enchanted blade that lay inside, all to prove himself worthy of the Blood Kiss. Radukar’s raids became more violent and gruesome after his turn, culminating in his arrival at the city of Mournhold which he “saved” from daemonic invasion...only to take it as his own and rename it to Ulfenkarn. He was defeated by a ragtag group of adventurers, but not killed. His body is now twisted and mutated into a more feral form that is simply referred to as “the Beast”. Radukar the Beast is now roaming the wilds of Shyish in a relentless quest for revenge.
*'''[[Kritza, the Rat Prince]]''': Once a treacherous nobleman of Ulfenkarn, Kritza was brutally beaten by Radukar and left for dead. What no one realized was that Kritza was mistakingly given the Blood Kiss by his assailant and is now part of the Vrykos dynasty. Uniquely though, instead of controlling wolves, Kritza has influence over various kinds of rats (living and undead), and he can divide his body into a swarm of vermin to escape enemies. It is unknown how well this works on Skaven.
*'''[[Lady Annika, the Thirsting Blade]]''': Another vampiric noble from Ulfenkarn, Annika’s lust for blood is considered excessive even among other vampires. Her personal sword Proboscian is enchanted to instantly drain its victims of all bodily fluid (another vampire of the world-that-was...*cough* Vlad von Carstein.*cough cough*... can confirm this can really backfire). Rather than a connection to wolves, Annika has a more traditional tie to bats and can appropriately vanish in a swarm of the flying vermin.
*'''[[Ushoran]]''': Now insane with delusions of grandeur and it is contagious. Effectively the first of the [[Flesh-Eater Courts]].
*'''Deintalos the Exile''': An insane vampire who crossed into the territory of Doctor Frankenstein when he began experimenting with resurrecting zombies with electricity. He decided to exile himself from Shyish to hide in the depths of [[Warhammer Underworlds|Harrowdeep]], where he could tinker around to his satisfaction without drawing any criticism. While his warband is mostly comprised of his lifeless test subjects, he does have an understudy in Prentice Marcov, a filthy little bugger who plays around with his own pet zombie.

==Soulbound==
The [[Age of Sigmar Roleplay]] supplement ''Champions of Death'' obviously gives this army a way to be playable, split between the skeletal wights and the frightening vampires...oh, and normal human necromancers as well. Naturally, as masters of subtlety and deception who also happen to be bloodthirsty monsters, the Soulblight offer much to a binding - enough that there are some vampires who turn out to be sleeper agents for either Mannfred or Neferata depending on the circumstance if they're not desperate to reclaim their territories. The wights offer their tireless dedication instead, considering their status as undead only barely autonomous in a way.

Among all the forces of Death, the Soulblights offer the best options for being Soulbound to Order, as vampires are such narcissistic cretins bent on self-preservation that they might just seek out the gods of Order if it means that they can fuck over Nagash if it's in their interests. Even when they are bound, they are not easily trusted - not least because of the stories of what happens to those who so betray the bone-daddy. Those that are trustworthy do offer much, however, as they can offer as much to the living as they do the undead.

Your hero can hail from the following Dynasties:
*'''Legion of Night:''' Available to all races. The personal army of Mannfred von Carstein, the greatest asshole in all the realms. Due to his strained relationship with his boss, he allows an exceptional amount of autonomy among his thralls so long as they're loyal to him. Though many join the Soulbound in order to assert themselves as the master or to prove themselves, just as many also join to stick it to the bald fuck or to flee his dickishness. Heroes from the Legion of Night can make a Guile check against a target's Intuition, allowing them to manipulate someone on a win. In addition, all archetypes have access to the Backstab talent.
*'''Legion of Blood:''' Available to all races. The army of Queen Neferata is just as much interested in power as any other. These undead just know how much appearances play into this and how to manipulate their allies and foes. Most Soulbound see their status as a free pass to closely observe their potential prey. Heroes from the Legion of Blood gain the Master of Disguise talent and can spend downtime making false identities while also accomplishing other goals.
*'''Vrykos Dynasty:''' The dynasty of Lord Radukar, chief antagonist of that one board game that GW released late. These vampires tend to be better in touch with their animalistic instincts compared to other vampires, though it is easy for them to simply degenerate into slavering beasts. Those vampires that are able to become Soulbound intend to utilize it in order to find some measure of control against their animalistic natures and their humanity. Heroes from the Vrykos Dynasty improve their melee score when ganging up on an enemy and gain advantage when tracking down wounded opponents.
*'''Kastelai Dynasty:''' This dynasty hides within the Crimson Keep, a traveling castle that always seems to appear only at night only to vanish by dawn. The vampires of this keep are masters of combat, constantly training to become greater. Those vampires who become Soulbound usually are usually relieved to be free of the whims of the keep, but may also find themselves equally suffocated by the beings they are bound to. Heroes from the Kastelai Dynasty can immediately move or charge after killing an enemy. In addition, the Warrior Elite talent becomes available to all archetypes.
*'''Avengorii Dynasty:''' The vampires of this realm do not run from their curse, instead embracing their bloodthirst and the monstrous effects it has upon their bodies. Despite their frightening appearances though, they are perhaps the most lucid of vampires and possess a sort of chivalric honor. Indeed, this honour makes them the most amenable to joining Order-based Bindings, though usually at the behest of Lauka Vai for some further agenda. Heroes from the Avengorii Dynasty deal more damage with their unarmed attacks, including inflicting worse wounds. In addition, they gain advantage on tests made to intimidate enemies.

Soulblight Vampires have access to either the '''Blood Knight''' or '''Vampire Lord''' archetypes, while the Wights have access to either the '''Grave Guard''' or '''Black Knight''' archetypes. Humans also have access to the '''Necromancer''' archetype.

{{Playable Factions in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar}}
[[Category:Soulblight Gravelords]]

Prince Vhordrai

2023-06-08T11:22:16Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

Prince Vhordrai, the Fist of [[Nagash]], is the leader of the Kastelai dynasty of Soulblight Vampires.

He was originally conceived as a special character made from some of the parts of the Vampire Lord on Zombie Dragon kit to give the Legions of Nagash another special character besides the Mortarchs and Nagash himself, since the Flesh-Eater Courts, Nighthaunt and Ossiarch Bonereapers hadn't been introduced yet.

==History==
Prince Vhordrai has been around for a long time, as he was already a powerful Vampire Lord during the Age of Chaos. At some unspecified point, Vhordrai gained his current steed, the zombie dragon named Shordmaire. But Vhordrai hated serving Nagash, given Nagash's tyranny.

It was during the Age of Chaos that his rise to infamy began. Prince Vhordrai was present at the Battle of the Black Skies, fighting for Nagash against Archaon. When Nagash was slain by Archaon, Vhordari saw this as an opportunity to be rid of him for good. Vhordrai attempted to throw Nagash's remains into the Chaos-corrupted realmgate of Yulghuan so the Chaos Gods could consume Nagash and destroy him once and for all.

Vhordrai's plan would've succeeded if not for the intervention of Arkhan the Black. Arkhan engaged Vhordrai in a lengthy duel between vampire and Mortarch. It's telling that Vhordrai managed to put up a huge fight since he couldn't match Arkhan's magic. But Arkhan's magic won him the duel, and he sealed Vhordrai in a sarcophagus made of Shadeglass. Arkhan then took Nagash's remains to Stygx with Neferata while Vhordrai was left trapped. So Prince Vhordrai is a bald vampire royal who tried to betray Nagash, only for his treachery to bite him back hard. [[Mannfred von Carstein|Where have I seen this before?]]

Thus Prince Vhordrai was trapped in the sarcophagus until the Age of Sigmar, the vitrified realmstone preventing Vhordrai from dying from lack of blood or devolving into a Vargheist. Nagash freed Vhordrai, the vampire now in a half-insane state. Unfortunately for him, Nagash knew about Prince Vhordrai's attempted treachery and had released him to use and punish him. Vhordrai was bound to the fortress the Crimson Keep, and would die an agonizing and permanent death if he left its walls for more than a day. Nagash also used his power to move the Crimson Keep between realms, placing it near anyone he wanted to die horribly. For those keeping score, Prince Vhordrai is a prestigious vampire warrior who was magically imprisoned after turning against his former ruler, plus the imprisonment and lack of blood to feed on drove him insane, [[The Red Duke|which is also a familiar story]].

As a result, Vhordrai was leashed and gained the title "Fist of Nagash", albeit as a form of mockery. Despite his binding, many vampires go to the Crimson Keep to serve or fight alongside Prince Vhordrai, who is now revered as a paragon of slaughter. The fact that visiting binds them to the Crimson Keep like him the longer they stay doesn't dampen their devotion.

Vhordrai and the other vampires established the Kastelai dynasty, revolving around martial prowess. Kastelai armies are almost entirely mounted to both maintain their knightly image and also out of necessity due to the Crimson Keep relocating each dawn. Given his half-insane, bloodthristy nature, Vhordrai revels in the suffering he gets to inflict, though he despises having to do it at Nagash's bidding.

When Nagash lost his physical form at the end of the Soul Wars, Vhordrai reconsidered his position and the possibility that he could be free of Nagash's curse. However, he's seen and experienced what happens when you betray the skelepope once, let alone twice. As such, he's reluctant to really make any moves without a ''very'' good reason and chance of success.

==On the Tabletop==

Prince Vhordrai's dynasty revolves around lances of Blood Knights form the core and supported by Dire Wolf hunting hounds raised from the most ferocious canine beasts. They will resurrect slain infantry from local barrows and corpse pits as needed but are considered entirely expendable and left to crumble by dawn.

{{Template:Soulblight Gravelords Characters}}

Lauka Vai, the Mother of Nightmares

2023-06-08T11:21:19Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

[[File:Lauka Vai, Mother of Nightmares.png|thumb|I don't know what the fuck that thing is, but I want it.]]

{{topquote|I hate what I’ve become! The nightmare’s just begun! I must confess that I feel like a monster!|”Monster” by Skillet}}

'''Lauka Vai''', the Mother of Nightmares, is the leader of the Avengorii dynasty of [[Soulblight Gravelords|Soulblight]] vampires. Her main schtick is that she [[Blood Angels|is a bloodthirsty monster desperately trying to conceal her bloodlust behind a thinly veiled pretense of honor and nobility.]]

==History==
Vai was originally the leader of the Askurga Renkai, an order of monster hunting vampires who refused to prey on those weaker than themselves. However, in a battle against a Tzeentch sorcerer, she was mutated into a [[dracotaur|horrific winged reptilian centaur-like form]], becoming the first of the [[Vengorian Lord]]s. Believing her to be corrupt, the Askurga Renkai turned on her, forcing Vai to kill them in self-defense.

Disgusted by what she became, Lauka Vai exiled herself into the wilderness of [[Ghur]], where she fought monstrous beasts and warlords by herself. If civilians saw her, she usually fled, but sometimes she could not control her bloodlust and committed atrocities that would haunt her when she returned to lucidity. Eventually, she'd be discovered by the Avengorii dynasty, a bloodline of vampires that willingly embraced their own monstrosity and viewed mutating into a Vengorian or Vargheist as an honor. Given their shared forms, the Avengorii revered her as a paragon of their kind. Although their savagery offended her code of honor, she agreed to become their leader, as this was the first companionship she could find in a long time. Though she first had to prove herself by slaying the then-current Patriarch of the Dynasty Ghorvar, who tried to tame her with his enchanted collar...to little success (this aforementioned collar is still treated as a dynasty artifact however).

Even as the leader of a bloodline of abominations, Lauka Vai still attempts to keep to her code of honor, refusing to prey upon the defenseless and focusing instead on fighting the forces of Chaos and Destruction. She even led the Avengorii against the forces of [[Ossiarch Bonereapers|the Ivory Host Bonereapers]] for a time, believing their bone-tithing of civilians instead of exclusively hunting monsters and worthy foes was a cowardly disgrace to the forces of Death. Vai nearly won the resulting war until Vokmortion negotiated a compromise between the two parties. Despite these principles, every time she falls into her bloodlust, it becomes more difficult to return to sanity. If she ever reaches a point where her mind breaks entirely, a grim fate will be released on the denizens of Ghur.

The Mother of Nightmares and her Dynasty are currently based in the labyrinthine underground of the Sascathran Dunes, neighboring the pristine and monster-hating [[Cities of Sigmar|free city of the Collonade]]. The Avengorii mostly keep to themselves and only hunt the large beasts native to the land. However, this doesn't stop the Azyrites from occasionally going on vampire hunts to rid the realm of the Vengorian Lords. This meant it was a surprise to Lauka Vai when she was approached by a human woman called Atella, a councilor from the Collonade requesting an alliance with the vampires to stop a gargantuan beastherd barreling towards their city. Lauka agreed to such an alliance, hoping to teach the prideful humans a lesson in humility. However, she underestimated just how much the Collonade loathed the Avengorii, even going as far as to go back on their own alliance in a bid to wipe out the Dynasty. This didn't end too well for the Collonade, who had their standing army decimated and the entire city razed following their betrayal. Lauka Vai did though find a new vampire in Atella, the one human who seemed just as fed up with the city's false pride as the vampires were.

The Era of the Beast was a time of trials for Lauka Vai and her nightmare brood. Many new bloods were joining the dynasty after embracing their monstrous heritage, while some of her most devoted kin were fully devolving into uncontrollable beasts that needed to be put down. Even the Mother of Nightmares proved to be affected by the wafting bestial energies as on one gore filled night, she and her retainers slaughtered an entire Gargant Stomp and destroyed the territory of some undead blacksmiths who were proud allies of the Kastelai Dynasty. [[Prince Vhordrai]] and his Crimson Keep materialized in the Sascathran Dunes and called Lauka Vai a traitor, to which she retorted that Vhordrai was one to talk about being a traitor. The two Dynasts clashed, and it was only the sudden arrival of an ogor mawtribe (they smelled all the dead gargants) that stopped the two vampires. Vhordrai fled back to his keep and issues Lauka Vai an ultimatum to settle this feud at a later date at the Gates Below, an intersection of Aqshy and Shyish realmgates. Lauka Vai eagerly accepts.

==On the Tabletop==
Lauka is the sole special character of the Avengorii Dynasty - a dynasty which, incidentally, really likes big scary monsters ([[Awesome|and really, who can blame them]]) to the point of being able to take [[Terrorgheist]]s and [[Zombie Dragon]]s [[Awesome|as battleline]]. In terms of stats she acts as a slightly buffed up version of a Vengorian Lord, with a Command Ability that lets her add +1 to hit rolls for attacks made with by friendly Monsters. Pair her up with some of the aforementioned beasties and you're good to go.

{{Template:Soulblight Gravelords Characters}}

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]] [[Category:Soulblight Gravelords]]

Sons of Behemat

2023-06-08T11:21:01Z

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{{NeedsImages}}
{{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.

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.

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, just before his centuries long nap. Among the early Gargants were the Sky Titans, intelligent craftsman and masters of black powder weaponry. They settled on Tor Crania, constructing many elaborate edifices and floating fortresses, which were promptly knocked down by a rampaging Gorkamorka and their brutish kin. Despite this, the Sky Titans would continue to thrive throughout the Age of Myth.

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 [[skeleton]]s 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.

===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 Sky Titans of Tor Crania were quick to fall to the predations of the [[Beasts Of Chaos|Beastmen]], being forced out of their homeland and slowly devolving into the same belligerent bruisers as the other Gargants. 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.

King Brodd was first recorded appearing during the Age of Chaos, where he was no bigger than a regular Gargant. Devoted completely to his forefather, he led a daring raid on the now defiled Tor Crania and grappled with the [[Cygor]]s that infested its ruins. He barely survived and as proof of his victory, he took home a shattered obelisk from its shattered temple and much later fashioned it into a mighty hammer which he now uses in the modern day.

===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. [[King Brodd|And one particular gargant became very, ''very'', angry.]]

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...

====Soul Wars====
The Sons of Behemat didn't pay much attention to the signs that preceeded the Necroquake, but they did notice them. The real effect of the Necroquake to reach them were the [[Nighthaunt]]. During their first battle, the Mortarch of Grief herself, [[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 got 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.

====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|Waaagh!]] [[Gordrakk]] 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. Some Gargants were driven mad by Great Stomp and became frenzied Beast-Smashers. More than a few Stomps have taken to following the lead of Kragnos, though others are still content to follow their own blunt ideas. Chief among them - literally - is King Brodd, who sees Kragnos as a false idol undeserving of Gargant worship. The Dawnbringer Crusades of the [[Cities of Sigmar|Free Peoples]] have proven to be a particular irritant for the Sons. No sooner have they finished flattening a nearby frontier town, another pops up some distance away. Ever more angering are the charismatic pipsqueaks who manage swindle the Gargants into working for them or cheating them out of their ancestral stomping grounds. The more wily gargants soon realized that there is value to these Crusades, seeing them as a steady stream of food and fighting.

King Brodd and a stomp of over a hundred gargants met with Gordrakk when the latter was able to secure the Mawgate to the Eighpoints and demanded to be allowed passage so he may batter his way to the Azyrite gate and flatten Sigmar. Gordrakk, displaying a bit of Morkish kunnin’, proposed an alternate strategy to the King; the Great Waaagh! will smash their way into the Eightpoints and the Sons of Behemat will head to Ghyran to stamp out the resurgent settlers who seek to colonize the realms. This would split Sigmar’s forces between trying to stop Gordrakk’s horde and defending the Everspring Swathe from King Brodd and his stomp. King Brodd agrees to this arrangement and makes way to his homeland.

==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 civilized 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.

Likely their most interesting interspecies relationship are with the Creepers, half-blind Gollum-looking creatures that are said to be distant relatives of the other Greenskins. The Creepers see the Gargants as “holy steeds” sent by their gods and regularly “mount” the titanic bruisers and “ride them into battle.” As for how the Gargants themselves feel about the Creepers, they either fail to notice their existence, see them as pests to exterminate, or allow them to live on their bodies like pets. The later option works out well for the dexterous Creepers, who like to keep their “mounts” well maintained with intricate war-paints, hair braids, and the occasional stitched up battle scar.

The return of Kragnos has divided them as well. His first encounter with the Sons of Behemat involved killing almost an entire family, and sparing the last because they swore to serve him, and the rest followed him due to his might and affinity for Destruction. However, there are some Gargants who refuse to bend the knee to the End of Empires. The most prominent of them is King Brodd. Brodd sees Behemat as the only being worthy of Gargant worship, and considers Kragnos a false idol. In keeping with Gargant culture, another strike against Kragnos, in Brodd's view, is how Kragnos has hooves instead of feet. In addition, the Smasher tribes for the most part see Kragnos not as a leader to follow or a god to worship, but as the best prey for them in Ghur. This has led to various fights between pro-Kragnos and anti-Kragnos gargant tribes during the Era of the Beast.

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 four events have shaken their race as a whole, the Age of Chaos, Behemat's death, their fights with [[Nighthaunt]] processions and the return of [[Kragnos]].

===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 [[Ogor Mawtribes|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 Tank]]s. 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''': [[Blood Bowl|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]]. The Gargants who lead these Mancrusher Mobs are referred to as '''Bullstompers''', usually for being very bull-headed and heavy handed towards their kin.

*'''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.

*'''Beast-Smasher''': The wild eyed berserkers of the giant race. This recently sighted variation has come about thanks to the Era of the Beast invigorating all of the destruction-aligned races with vigor and vitriol. Beast-Smashers are devoted to slaying the biggest of monsters, much like their Godbeast predecessor, which they do so with their massive Menhir Clubs. Greatest among their monstrous targets is none other than Kragnos himself, though slaying the End of Empires is far from an easy task, even for these behemoths. Beast-smashers don’t perceive the Mortal Realms the same way as other mortals do, instead always looking through time to view the landscape as it was during the Age of Myth. Another weird sight they have is courtesy of a skull shoved into one of their eye socket, granting them sight into the world of bestial spirits, which comes in handy when on the hunt. Their Stomps are called ''Smasher Tribes'' and share much in common with the Orruks of the Bonesplitterz Warclans, being glorified hunting parties on a ritualistic crusade in Behemat’s name.

*'''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” and leader of the faction.

*'''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. In the Era of the Beast, Bundo has been using his superior intellect and a silver tongue to get hired by the free city of Excelsis, despite their understandable disdain for the various destruction factions.

*'''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. His home region was paid a visit by Kragnos, who decimated the Ivory Host. Now Grunnock fears the constant war is going to end, to which he now seeks to kill the God of Earthquakes to make sure it doesn’t happen. 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. Big Drogg was expectedly pissed that Teclis beat him to the punch on knocking out Nagash. So he changed his sights for the aelf god and his children and is more than happy to help the servants of Nagash avenge their master. 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.

*'''Odo Godswallow''': Mercenary Beast-Smasher who can ally with fellow Destruction factions. Odo believes he’s the second coming of Behemat after being driven mad by the surging bestial energies coming from Ghur. He even has an entourage of Bonesplitterz who cover “Da Living God” in their magic warpaint. His “knowledge” in regards to bringing down the mightiest of monsters means he’s a sought after ally for the children of Gorkamorka.

*'''Brawlsmasha''': Mercenary Bonegrinder who can 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. Even after Kragnos’ rampage, Excelsis still expresses some interest in recruiting Argol, possibly due to some coercion from fellow Mega-Gargant Bundo Whalebiter.

*'''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 the Creepers. These little guys 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.
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPk_BwvD2vs] The final theme from Serious Sam 2 soundtrack. A great peace of music, for when you want to punctuate the sheer size of your bois.

==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}}

See Also: [[Red Goblins]] for the Creepers.

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Arch-Kavalos Zandtos

2023-06-08T11:18:57Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

{{Topquote|The crime isss life! The sentence iss death!|The Dark Judges, 'Judge Dredd'}}

Arch-Kavalos Zandtos is a Liege-Kavalos of the Mortis Praetorians [[Ossiarch Bonereapers|Bonereaper]] Legion, serving as Katakros' top lieutenant. He is one of the rare Bonereapers that's made using only one original soul. His steed also looks more draconic compared to the more amalgamated equine-porcine look other Kavalos steeds have, and at the meta level is a popular choice for conversions.

==History==
===Origins===
In life, Zandtos was a refined assassin with an autistic fixation on death, and like Katakros, he was also from Flezich in Ghur. Zandtos spent most of his life as an assassin-mortician. For over sixty years, he was sent after targets, riding out by himself to meet them before dismounting and dueling them. Zandtos was also a skilled fighter, to the point that he strived to make the deathblow as careful and clean as possible, inflicting it with almost ''loving'' care. Unlike other assassins, he also cleaned and interred his victims, even if that meant digging a grave for them and scooping up their organs and severed body parts.

When Zandtos died, like many Flezichans, he went to the underworld of Ossia. Given Ossia revolved around hard work being its own reward, this was Zandtos' idea of paradise. Even though Zandtos retained his combat skill in undeath, he enjoyed tending to the dead and undead alike as a mortician. Then one day Sigmar came along and brought living people to Shyish. They were loud and passionate, killing their enemies with great violence and leaving their corpses messy. This enraged Zandtos, every time he saw this angering him more until he reached the tipping point, where he began a one-man campaign of genocide against any living beings in Shyish.

At an unidentified point in time after Katakros arrived in Ossia, Zandtos approached Katakros and offered his services, seeing Katakros as someone who could help fulfill his genocidal ambitions. Eventually, Zandtos rose to the rank of Katakros' general.

===Age of Chaos===
In the Age of Chaos Zandtos fought alongside Katakros, and was present when Katakros annexed Necris under the rule of Ossia.

===Age of Sigmar===
Zandtos joined Katakros after he was freed from the Stormvault, and helped him reclaim Ossia and Necris from the forces of Chaos. He was also gifted with the weapon The Dark Lance, a lethal blade that increase the force of its wielder's blows and focuses their intent. In the case of Zandtos, it intensified his desire for death above all to the point he lost his desire to bring order and tidiness to the underworld. He also became aware of the city of Lethis and developed a massive hate-boner (lol) for it.

Since the coming of the necroquake, Zandtos forsook the mortician's code of dignity and repose in death and now in battle he leaves behind the disorder and carnage he once despised. It's gotten to the point that even Katakros has had to order Zandtos to restrain himself.

He was present in the War of the Eightpoints, leading Katakros' armies across the land to fight and hunt the forces of Chaos. He fell in the Battle of the Varanspire, leading a Deathrider charge against the Varanguad when Archaon himself returned. Archaon countercharged, with Dorghar smashing many Deathriders and Zandtos himself to splinters.

Fortunately for Zandtos his soultrap gem, weapons and badges of office were retrieved by his retainers, who implemented a tactical retreat so he could be restored, all in accordance with Katakros' plan.

After he was restored and the end of the Necroquake, Zandtos got what he wanted when Katakros charged him with destroying the city of Lethis in Shyish. Especially since, unlike most times, Katakros told him to show no restraint AND gave him full charge of the mission.

==On Tabletop==

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]] [[Category:Ossiarch Bonereapers]]

Ossiarch Bonereapers

2023-06-08T11:18:08Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Ossiarch Bonereapers|Logo=Immortis-WC2.jpg|Alliance=Death|Motto=The Skeleton War is upon us! We ride against the [[Stormcast Eternals|fuckboys]]!}}

{{topquote|A way to subjugate a country is through either the sword or debt.|John Adams}}
{{topquote|The bones of the skeleton which support the body can become the bars of the cage which imprison the spirit.|J. Ruth Gendler}}
{{topquote|Spooky Scary Skeletons, send shivers down your spine. Shrieking skulls will shock your souls, seal your doom tonight!|The first part of their theme song}}

The latest addition to [[Nagash]]’s ever growing hordes (designed and sculpted by [[Maxime Corbeil]], a former dentist), the '''Ossiarch Bonereapers'''
(Also known as '''The Boney Boys''', '''Bonecast''', '''Tomb Kings 2.0''', '''Bonechads''', '''Nagash's Taxmen''', '''The Boney Bean Counters''', '''Ossiarch Bean Counters''' or '''The IRS''' (short for Internal Ribcage Service)) are the result of an eons old plan by Big Bone Daddy.

Likely inspired by the [[Stormcast Eternals]] (at the meta level. In-universe Nagash made them long before Sigmar had his Stormcast idea), the Bonereapers are not mere skeletons given life by necromancy, but massive constructs of bone and countless warrior souls, making them all look impressively robust for undead. Since the Soulblight Gravelords are the mainstay, the Nighthaunt are the shock troops and the Flesh-Eater Courts are completely insane, these buff bone bruisers are the elite vanguard of the Grand Alliance. Given their themes of bones, undead constructs, priest characters, architect characters and skull-throwing catapults... they're currently the closest thing we've got to [[Tomb Kings]] in AoS.

They also carry out the Bone Tithe; in addition to going out and killing shit to get their bones, the Ossiarchs give settlements they encounter a contract: Give up a set amount of bones whenever we stroll by, or face annihilation now. Understandably, most choose the former. Being unable to pay or even being rude to them also provokes a slaughter.

Visually-speaking, they're what happens when Games Workshop decides to mix [[Tyranids]], [[Tomb Kings]], and [[Necrons]] into one army. Thematically-speaking, they actually share quite a bit with the [[Death Korps of Krieg|Death Korps of Krieg]], mainly to how both reduce war and society to a ruthless and callous arithmetic designed solely to fulfill the orders of their Masters.

==History==
===Age of Myth===
{{topquote|Anything you can do, I can do better!|Likely Nagash after learning how Sigmar makes Stormcast}}
[[File:Slaves to Darkness vs Ossiarch Bonereapers 01.jpg|right|300px|thumb|SKULLS FOR <s>THE SKULL THRONE</s> Nagash! And all the other bones too!]]
When Nagash was helping Sigmar build his cities he secretly began experimenting on undead, combining their bones and souls into newer, stronger undead warriors; the [[Morghasts/Hammurai|Morghasts]] and the first Bonereapers. Most were put into massive underground crypts Nagash secretly built beneath the cities of Order, but others were kept on the surface and brought into battle alongside the armies of the other gods.

The other gods saw the Bonereapers and really didn't like them because of how unnatural they were, even for undead. In response, Nagash sent these Bonereapers to the edge of Shyish to lay low until he called on them (these Bonereapers who would go on to form the Null Myriad). He also sent at least twenty of them to wander the Realms on a long-forgotten mission (these would go on to become the Petrifex Elite).

Strangely, none of the Order groups noticed until however long its been since the start of the Age of Myth that there were crypts full of undead warriors beneath their cities. Especially since they know about and need to defend against [[Skaven|enemies who specialize in creating massive complexes beneath your cities that they then invade from]] or ones who are just [[Gloomspite Gitz|well-versed in tunnel warfare]].

===Age of Chaos===
The Age of Chaos only affected the Bonereapers garrisoned at the edge of Shyish. By that time they had become resistant to magic, and they fought against demonic armies, their actions blunting the assault of Chaos on Shyish. During this time, Katakros led an army against Sigmar himself on Nagash's orders while the former was pursuing the latter for his betrayal. The battle resulted in the loss of Katakros' army, the Mortarch's defeat and subsequent confinement to a Stormvault.

===Age of Sigmar===
In the lead-up to the Soul Wars, Katakros was freed from the Stormvault by fellow Mortarch, Lady Olynder. The Bonereapers on the edge of Shyish acted as a military force protecting the skeletal work crews who carried grains of Shyishan realmstone to Nagashizzar for Nagash to use to build the Black Pyramid.

====Soul Wars====
After the Necroquake, Nagash decided the time was right to wake up everyone beneath these cities, who apparently marched back home, making them relatively pointless. In that respect, these tombs seemed to mirror the Stormvaults Sigmar had strewn about the Realms to contain various dangerous contraband like [[Katakros|said Mortarch]].

When the Bonereaper legions arrived in Shyish, Nagash got back to his pet-project of making super-skellies, and perfected the process. This involves taking souls and distilling them down to their most choice elements. This involves ripping apart their identity and keeping parts considered useful (such as skills, daring and knowledge) while discarding the parts that aren't useful (such as fear, compassion and loyalty to anything but Nagash) and replacing those parts with something "better" (like loyalty to Nagash), with the strongest-willed soul among them becoming the identity of the new Bonereaper. Then these fragmented and melded souls are put into specially crafted bone constructs. By doing so, he artificially created individuals who were warriors, leaders, bodyguards, artisans, architects, philosophers and sculptors all in one, [[Adeptus Custodes|which sounds a little familiar.]]

The Bonereapers subsequently had a meteoric rise, making their mark - and several enemies - across the realms. After establishing their powerbase in Shyish, the Ironjawz Warclan the Kryptboyz have focused their efforts on fighting the Bonereapers due to wanting to destroy their settlements and wear their bones as trophies. In Chamon, the Null Myriad encountered the Seraphon of the Thunder Lizard Constellation and got embroiled in wars for control of the realm's edge. The Ivory Host legion gained a foothold in Ghur, Katakros' realm of origin, and in building their cities they've positioned themselves for conflict with several Mawtribes and the free city of Excelsis. The Ivory Host also clashed with an [[Sons of Behemat|infamous Mega-Gargant who went on to become the mercenary known as One-Eyed Grunnock]].

This was followed by the Bonereapers most notable conflict; the War for the Eightpoints. Katakros led the Mortis Praetorians and detachments from other Legions into the Eightpoints alongside Olynder and a Nighthaunt army to take the Eightpoints for Nagash, the first invvasion of the realm since it had been captured by Chaos. They succeeded in capturing and fortifying the realmgate leading to Shyish, and established a fortified citadel around it as a base of operations. However, Katakros' campaign was halted by the sudden return of Archaon and a force of Varanguard plus a daemon army led by Be'lakor. Bolstered by the mortal and daemonic hosts, the Chaos armies routed Katakros' Nighthaunt allies and forced the Bonereapers to enact a tactical retreat, with Archaon personally slaying him after a lengthy duel. Katakros' soul returned to his stronghold, albeit wounded, and after Katakros' restoration in a new body, the conflict became a stalemate and a war of attrition.

====Broken Realms====
When Morathi entered the Eightpoints in her plan to secure Varanite, she secretly sent an envoy to Katakros, giving him several tonnes of bones infused with the magic of Ulgu in exchange for a Bonereaper attack on Archaon's holdings to distract the forces of Chaos. Knowing the forces of order will take losses in their unknown (to Katakros and the Stormcast) endeavor, Katakros accepted the bargain.

When Teclis and Nagash decided to throw hands, the Bonereapers saw some particularly grueling setbacks. Not content with making the entire Death faction a bunch of jobbers for the Lumineth, the Bonereapers got worfed like a 40k Avatar of [[Khaine]] fighting Ultramarines, so bad it's as if the author had some bad experiences playing against them on the tabletop.

Teclis confronted Nagash after repelling a Nighthaunt attack on Settler's Gain, and unsuccessfully tried to threaten him into backing down. Then Teclis enacted a master plan seeking to end the Soul Wars and make Nagash pay for the Necroquake. To start, he personally led a Lumineth army riding [[Anime|flying mountains]] on an invasion of Shyish to destroy three monuments in a symbolic victory to show people the Bonereapers weren't unbeatable. Despite fierce resistance, and a waring from Vokmortion, the Lumineth were able to match the Bonereapers in battle before destroying the monuments and <s>fleeing</s> going back to Hysh.

The Bonereapers replenished their losses with the dead of both sides and sought revenge. While undead armies led by Neferata and Mannfred invaded Chamon and Ghyran respectively, a Null Myriad army led by Arkhan himself invaded Hysh and press-ganged the local Mordant Courts to help <s>give the Lumineth a right proper boning</s> conquer Ymetrica by turning a realmgate in Hysh into a mini-Shyish Nadir. But a Lumineth army repelled Arkhan's first attempt, forcing him to flee and try again with a second realmgate on the edge of Hysh. Not only was this second attempt thwarted by a Lumineth army led by a vengeful Eltharion, the Bonereapers were wiped out, with Arkhan himself punted off the edge of Hysh by the Light of Eltharion and disappearing. The Lumineth burned their dead to limit the Ossiarch’s recruitment, forcing them to harvest the bones of their ghoul allies, causing more trouble as the Flesh-Eater Courts fought back.

Then Nagash personally arrived in Hysh to finish what Arkhan started and kill Avalenor in revenge, but was forced to do battle against Teclis, with each god’s respective army doing battle beneath their feet. Though both gods were roughly equal in magical might, Nagash proved to be a superior combatant and marked Teclis with his blade and death magic. But Teclis got the last laugh due to some unexpected allies in Alarielle and several Luminarks, culminating in the destruction of Nagash's nine books, Nagash himself having his body broken and his soul imprisoned in Nagashizzar and Teclis personally undoing the Necroquake.

With Nagash imprisoned (for the time being), Arkhan deader than ever before and the other forces of death more fractious and carving their own trails of carnage, the Ossiarch are the only active remnant of their master’s will. There is also a looming Slaaneshi invasion on the horizon, as the reborn [[Sigvald]] seeks to avenge his Shadeglass imprisonment by destroying Nagash's beloved pet project.

==== Era of the Beast ====
Katakros is fixated on his campaign in the Eightpoints, but still keeping tabs on what's happened elsewhere, calling out Neferata's power play when she criticized Olynder working with Be'lakor. Katakros himself didn't criticize Olynder's actions because they hurt Sigmar's plan, with Neferata accusing Katakros of still being salty over his first loss to Sigmar. He's also starting a side project to seize control of Ghur, partly out of nostalgia, partly to distract himself from the side effects of the soul wound Archaon gave him.

The fight against Chaos is taking its toll on the Arx Terminus. While it has repelled nearly every assault, this means that it needs repairs regularly. Also meaning the Mortisans don't have time to purify the taint of Chaos from the bones they use. As a result, parts of the Arx Terminus have become corrupted by Chaos, with Bonereapers hearing strange voices and chambers randomly sealing themselves shut. These areas are quarantined from the rest, with regiments of Mortek Guard watching them in case something like a horde of daemons emerges. The one failure was when Archaon led an army that managed to break through the Arx Terminus and enter the Endgate, dealing significant damage to Gothizzar before being repelled. Whether this was a statement from Archaon or the Bonereapers managed to push him back is unknown.

Apart from that, we get the thoughts of Mannfred and Neferata on Arkhan's disappearance. Mannfred gloats about it, but is certain Arkhan will return (and plans to rub the defeat in his face when he does). Neferata doesn't comment much, except to subtly say that she "almost" missed him compared to a killjoy like Katakros (tsundere much?).

Meanwhile, Nagash has been slowly regaining his power and awareness and already begun working on his vengeance. He's got some sort of link to Teclis, even interrupting Teclis' meditation to promise reprisals.

==Society==
[[File:Ossiarch Bonereapers Society.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Adds a whole new meaning to the phrase "pyramid scheme".]]
All Ossiarch Bonereapers are built for a specific purpose and assigned a role based on the souls from which they’re formed. This is codified through a caste system, with Nagash at the top, then Mortarchs Katakros and Arhkan, then the highest ranking Ossiarchs underneath and various ranks beneath that. The Bonereaper caste system has a cartouche representing each caste (though Nagash's is just to symbolize him). While there is a Mortarch cartouche, only Katakros wears it because Arkhan predates the Bonereaper system (and everyone but Nagash) by several eons, and despite their alliance he's too proud to wear Katakros' symbol. While they're all obedient to Nagash and fearless, the Bonereapers used in battle are sapient and the characters at least have enough individuality to have names and some personality, though they tend to be work-oriented and elitist. Having said that, Nagash and necromancy isn't infallible, so the process doesn't excise all personality traits Nagash opposes, so they are still capable of doubt and camaraderie which can make them question, regret or even challenge their orders.

While many Ossiarch Bonereapers are warriors, there are castes of groups such as crafters and preachers. There is movement between castes, but only downwards, and as a punishment for failure. A Liege Kavalos who fails in their mission, for example, may be remade as a Kavalos Deathrider. If the offense was major, they might get remade as a steed. The lowest caste are the exiles collectively referred to as Parrha, consisting of the worst offenders who get broken and remade into warped skeletal aberrations incapable of fighting and the Bonereapers value them less than the Imperial Guard values the life of its rank and file soldiers (for the uninitiated, that's really saying something).

The Ossiarch Bonereapers can be found all across the Mortal Realms, aiming to conquer everything from Azyr to the Eightpoints. At present, the majority of the Ossiarch Bonereapers are concentrated in Shyish, inhabiting the nations that surround the Shyish Nadir. This allows them easy access to a vast source of magical power and establishes them as a permanent garrison around this most valuable of territories. Apart from Shyish, the largest concentrations of Bonereapers are in Ghur and Chamon.

The Ossiarch Bonereapers build according to principles laid down in the Principia Necrotopia, [[Codex Astartes|a set of guidelines that ensure optimal construction]]:

In the first stages of colonizing a new region, the Ossiarchs will establish tithing sites. Presumably, this involves mapping out surrounding settlements and segments of the region into their own tributaries, with each section's inhabitants made to sign a contract to begin paying the Tithe. They contruct shrines known as Bone-Tithe Nexus, which act as locations for vassals to dump their bones and are enchanted to give out powerful curses to ward off any scavengers seeking to steal from it.

Next, they will fortify key territories with small fortifications, following up with a number of Mortisan workshops to fuel the next stage of their expansion. These small holdings will eventually develop into vast and imposing fortresses, growing ever upward as the Bonereapers’ numbers grow. These are not just barracks, but places of culture for the Ossiarchs.

Ossiarch scholars will endlessly study scrolls in charnel libraries, recording the details of cultures in the Mortal Realms they have subjugated and those they seek to subjugate. These vast citadel-states eventually resemble Nagashizzar itself.

===The Bone Tithe===
[[File:Bone tithe.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Put your spines into it. Literally!]]
The Bone Tithe is instrumental to their society and Nagash's way of setting himself up as mob boss of the realms. Upon arriving in an area, the Ossiarchs send out scouts to get the lay of the land. When they find a settlement they want tribute from, a representative - in practice usually a Mortisan - approaches and makes them an offer they can't refuse; give "x" by the deadline at regular intervals, or we kill you all now and take what we want. To communicate, the Bonereapers draw on prior research for the local language; it doesn't matter if the vernacular's out of date by a few centuries or so, as long as they can be understood. If that doesn't work, the Bonereapers use other means, including killing a local and using their spirit as a translator if all else fails. If the locals refuse, attack them or are rude enough, [[Grimdark|the Bonereapers make good on their threat, slaughtering everything in the settlement that has bones, right down to the last child and stray animal]]. If they are feeling "nice", the Bonereapers might only kill the dissenters or leave a fraction of the people alive, but with even more bones required from them.

When demanding the Bone Tithe, what/who the bones come from and the required amount depends on the situation and Bonereaper legion. Human bone is the most widely used, with ogor bones a close second; duardin bones are liked for their durability but aren't common enough, aelf bones are slightly more common but don't replenish fast enough and greenskin bones are very common but coarse, porous and prone to spontaneous fungal growth unless treated properly. While animal bones are also used - such as for Kavalos steeds or Gothizzar Harvesters - that's not always the case and it depends on the animal (Rhinoxen and Bleaklake crocodiles are popular choices). How the bones are acquired is irrelevant, the most common options ranging from emptying the local cemetery to [[Grimdark|having everyone eligible give a limb or holding a lottery where those chosen are killed and the bones taken from their corpses]].

The Bonereapers (though inbuilt or learned ability, it's not clear) CAN tell the difference between what race or species a specific bone comes from, so trying to cheat them with different kinds of bone doesn't work. They also respond to trickery the same way they respond to failure or refusal - immediate slaughter (as a human town learned to their cost when they tried to trick the Bonereapers by mixing pig bones in with human bones). Even other Death factions aren't exempt from the Bone Tithe, as the Bonereapers' laws consider their charge from Nagash to supersede any commonalities with his other followers (callous elitism isn't good for alliances, reflected in the rules by the Bonereapers not being able to take allies outside Drogg Fort-Kicka).

Sometimes things are even worse than the above. A particularly war-horny leader, most often from the Stalliarch Lords (more on them below), will give nigh-impossible demands to increase the chance of failure. What kinds of demands? How about asking a city's population for detailed records on everyone's family lineage going back to the founders and the condition of every bone in the city ''including bones still inside the living inhabitants''. Or maybe they ask for just one ton of bones ''every day'' (for extra lulz, the offer is made at night and has to be completed the next day). They might instead, or also, [[That Guy|arrive early to extract the Tithe just to get a good slaughter out of it]]; either exploiting the wording of their terms or causing a panic that makes their subjects attack.

However it ends, the bones of the Ossiarch's victims are sorted through, the good bones taken for future use the sub-par ones discarded (same with their victims souls). Strips of skin and flesh from these unfortunates are hung from the Bonereapers' spears as a warning to anyone who considers not paying the Tithe.

Ultimately, they have a term related to the Bone Tithe called the “Terminus Concept”. This refers to the point where a society can't provide enough bones so they get slaughtered and their bones are taken. For the truth is that the Bone Tithe is ultimately unsustainable for the payers, and the Bonereapers know it. This all proves that, while Nagash is a pragmatic sort of fellow, he'll always find a way to be a <s>boner</s> [[Eldrad|huge skeletal dick]] about it.

==Forces==
[[File:Bonereaper army.jpg|right|500px|thumb|'''Angry Dooting Intensifies''']]
===Leaders===
*'''Liege-Kavalos''': Field generals with skeleton mounts placed in charge of leading the Bonereaper armies. They are forged as a cruel mockery of Sigmar’s Lord-Celestant on Dracoth.
*'''Mortisan Boneshaper:''' The healers/builders of the Bonereapers. Formed from the souls of artists, they’re in charge of building the extravagant bone cities and other architecture of the legions. They all possess a friendly rivalry with each other that pushes them to one up another’s artwork. Has a spell that can hit a unit for approximately a third of its size in mortal wounds.
*'''Mortisan Ossifector:''' New for third edition, can provide buffs to your spookiest of skeletons. Has a spell that lets them buff 3 such units within 24" at once.
*'''Mortisan Soulmason:''' Miniature Arkhans with four arms who are in charge of hunting and fusing souls for their various constructs. They ride into battle on bony [[Fyodor Karamazov|thrones with chicken legs]]. Provide buffs to your battleline units.
*'''Mortisan Soulreaper:''' Your offensive caster for the Bonereapers with a scythe that doesn't like hordes. Has a spell that does more damage if it resolves at melee range and can be given a delayed resolution, so cast it, charge in and inform your opponent that [[Fist of the North Star|they are already dead]].

===Battleline===
*'''Mortek Guard:''' Rank and file infantry of the Bonereapers. Well armored and shielded, they have the choice of swords or spears and optional greatswords as weapons. Their primary role is to create massive shield walls to protect their leaders.
*'''Kavalos Deathriders:''' Bony heavy cavalry, each one has the soul of dozens of warriors to draw on their knowledge and is proportionately arrogant. They have undead birds roosting on their banner poles that act as spies and messenger birds. For added creep factor, these guys normally walk at a slow and ominous trot, only sprinting when going into a headlong charge and don't bother to clean themselves while hunting a target.

===Others===
*'''Necropolis Stalkers:''' Four-armed skeletal constructs the size of Kurnoth Hunters with four faces, each one has the soul of four warriors, and switches between which one is dominant, altering their fighting style accordingly. Their name's ripped from the Necropolis Knights and the Tomb Stalkers.
*'''Immortis Guard:''' Four-armed <s>Grave Guard</s> <s>Tomb Guard</s> elite skellingtons armed with a halberd in one set of hands and a shield in the other. Like the Morghasts, Immortis are the bodyguard bois to the Stalkers' chargey bois.
*'''Morghast Harbingers and Archai:''' You know em, you love em. Nagash's original sculpted bone construct based on not-angels from the World-That-Was now served as prototypes to the current regime of spoopy skeltals. Flying blenders armed with either halberds (take these) or twin swords (don't take these). Harbingers are your deep strike bois, while the Archai are bodyguard bois.
*'''Mortek Crawler:''' Screaming Skull Catapult 2.0 with an obligatory patent-friendly rename. In addition to flaming skulls, it can also hurl a cauldron of Death Magic that works based on bravery or a cursed stone that gets more powerful the more damage the Crawler takes. It's also powered by a bone-made hamster wheel and multiple legs.
*'''Gothizzar Harvester:''' A big monster construct with weapon hands and half a skeleton for a codpiece that helps harvest bones. The Harvester uses them to make new constructs on the fly or repair damaged ones. Their weapon arms come with either enchanted maces or scything blades for hands.

===Famous Legions===
*'''Mortis Praetorians''': The 10,000 strong personal army of Katakros, created out of the souls of those he personally knew in life. They have gained a fearsome reputation for their tactical acumen, especially in Shyish. [[Ultramarines|The poster boys who are a jack-of-all-trades, big on tactics and led by an ancient leader who was the basis for future generations]]. Whenever one dies, a new one is immediately made and travels to go where needed, [[Derp|even alone if only one new Bonereapers is needed]].
* '''Petrifex Elite''': Made up of nomadic armies crafted from prehistoric fossilized bones, they are known for being slow-moving and a near impenetrable wall of bone. While fossilized bone tends to be fragile, the Petrifex Elite enchant them to be tough and also include already supernaturally tough bones among them (ie; the bones of godbeasts). Led by Mortisans, [[Necrons|they only exist to slay and find ancient bones to build more of themselves and make themselves even deadlier]]. They have forgotten why Nagash wants them to do this, and their leaders eschew personal identity to the point of using titles instead of names, as mandated by their leader and most senior Mortisan, the Grand Necromystic.
**This particular legion was infamously spammed to hell in tournament play when the OBR were first released, potentially being a factor in the subsequent beat down/nerfing they received in Broken Realms.
* '''Null Myriad''': The first Ossiarch Bonereapers made during Nagash's experiments in the Age of Myth. The Null Myriad were later refined and bolstered using the bones and souls of the countless dead who helped construct Nagash’s Black Pyramid and the best of Arkhan's Black Disciples. They are a solemn yet prideful lot with high resilience to magic and were given to Arkhan to be his personal legion; they're so loyal to Arkhan that they defer to him even over Katakros himself. Their resistance to magic extends to the power of Chaos, so they're used to inhabit the most inhospitable parts of the realms. Recently Arkhan made an alliance with Katakros, and the Null Myriad's job is to secure magic-heavy locations in the realms so Katakros can control the sources of their magic. The Null Myriad forces in Chamon have come into conflict with the Seraphon of the Thunder Lizards Constellation who also dwell there.
*'''Ivory Host''': Outwardly, they appear as honorable warriors, but hidden away in their bodies is a monstrous frenzy that turns them into clawing slavering beasts. Fitting considering they are constructed from beast and monster bones. Tasked by Nagash to conquer Ghur, they overcompensate for their bestial anger by being meticulously clean and making everything of theirs as much of a work of art as possible. Also known for [[Tomb Kings|being the only Ossiarchs who build ships, use the color gold regularly in their attire and are led by a monarch]]. Currently they’ve claimed the realmgate of Greedmouth and established the Ivory Citadel in the southwestern corner of the Ghurish Heartlands, putting them awfully close to numerous [[Ogor Mawtribes]] and the [[Cities of Sigmar|free city]] of Excelsis.
*'''Stalliarch Lords''': A cavalry centric force who are [[Creed|skillful tacticians]] and like to make impossible demands so they have an excuse to raze cities and slaughter people (on the rare occasion that someone meets their outrageous demands they keep their word... but remember the Terminus Concept). They take the freshest remains whenever possible to maximize how much they're infused with essence of the slain, which gives them more speed and vitality than other Bonereaper Legions and often a blood-slicked appearance. Basically [[That Guy]] as a cavalry-loving undead legion.
*'''Crematorians''': These Bonereapers are burning with an internal fire to the point where they literally explode when killed. Nagash crafted their legion to specifically level civilizations that displease him and eschew the usual OBR organization structure. Some of them have recently realized that they don't really have a purpose other than to fight and explode, and aren't too happy about that. In fact, their leaders [[Noblebright|have made pacts of friendship to repair each other if any of them are destroyed and the chief Liege-Kavalos has gone behind the Mortarchs' backs to scour the libraries of everyone they encounter in the hopes of finding a way to undo their fiery curse, and is implied to be on the verge of a breakthrough]].

==Significant Skeletons==
* '''[[Katakros|Orpheon Katakros]], [[Mortarch]] of the Necropolis''': In life he was the greatest strategic genius in all the Mortal Realms, and undeath has done nothing to dull his mastery of military tactics. He's been given a new body of enscrolled bone by Nagash himself which looks like a [[Jojo's Bizarre Adventure|JoJo stand]] rather than a skeleton. He goes into battle surrounded by various attendants; the Liege-Immortis, the Aviarch Spymaster, the Gnosis Scrollbearer, and the Prime Necrophoros.
*'''[[Arch-Kavalos Zandtos]]''': A Liege-Kavalos and Katakros’ most trusted lieutenant. In life he was a refined, death-obsessed assassin who considered killing a sacred act that should be as clean as possible. In undeath, he gradually became a death-purist who wishes to “cleanse” Shyish of anything still living.
*'''Vokmortian, Master of the Bone-tithe''': The grim tallyman in charge of recording/judging the Tithe. He carries the severed heads of those foolish enough to refuse to pay the Tithe and has a coffin on his back, making him look like a giant beetle. Though officially he’s under Katakros and Arkhan in the OBR hierarchy, he’ll only receive/carry out orders from Big Bone Daddy himself...which might be a bit difficult now that Nagash was sealed away by Teclis.
*'''[[Arkhan the Black]]''': Yeah, he's part of the army despite technically being just an "average" liche as opposed to a bone golem thing. Likely because apart from Nagash, he's the most privy to understanding how they are made without being one. While he has his own private legion in the Null Myriad, his authority is recognized by all the Ossiarch legions. He was recently thrown off the edge of Hysh by the Light of Eltharion, with him and his Dread Abyssal disappearing in a burst of light magic. While it's unlikely that Arkhan is gone for good, he's deader than ever before.
*'''Xaramos''': A Mortisan Boneshaper of the Mortis Praetorians, skilled in both diplomacy and keeping the legion operating at full efficiency. He assisted Arkhan in his counter invasion of Ymetrica in Hysh, where he put his diplomatic skills to use in acquiring the assistance of the [[Flesh-Eater Courts|Vertigon Court]] to defeat the Lumineth aelves and formed an unexpected friendship with the Ghoul King Varshorn. When relations turned sour over the Bone Tithe, the personal forces of Xaramos and Varshorn battled amidst the gore-caked caverns of the Starfang Mont in a conflict dubbed the Charnel War, with hints that Xaramos regretted fighting Vashorn. Xaramos died permanently in the last battle, personally decapitated by Vashorn.
*'''King Zothar Athrabis''': The ancient ruler of the Obsidian Coast, who gave his (and his entire army’s) soul to Nagash in exchange for the soul of his dead son. Now as a Bonereaper, Zothar enforces the Bone-Tithe on the few remaining mortals of the Coast, as well as demanding a vessel for his son’s soul every ten years. Things went like this for a thousand years, until his current “son” and his mortal subjects finally rebelled against his rule. Zothar, who was actually becoming close with this iteration of his son, was devastated and finally realized Nagash was never truly going to give him his son back. So he razed the last living city on the Obsidian Coast along with his remaining shred of humanity. All that’s left now is his duty as a servant of Nagash…and how much he hates the Necromancer.

==Spooky Melodies for your Bony Boys==

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DsZivjop_s Spooky Scary Skeletons! a remix for a revamp]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKHAX1K4sKQ The Dead March returns for AoS!]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5n5qo8b1pA March for the Tithe!]

==Trivia==
* The architecture of the Ossiarch Bonereapers was likely inspired by bone churches such as the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedlec_Ossuary Sedlec Ossuary] in the Czech Republic. The Sedlec Ossuary is a Roman Catholic church where the bones of thousands of people have been artistically arranged to form the decorations and the furnishings of the chapel. Like other bone churches, this was done several centuries ago for creative interment reasons with many dead and not enough space to bury them on holy ground.
* On a comical note, "Kavalos", the name for Bonereaper cavalry, translates to "crotch" in Greek (the Greek word is "kaválos"). Makes more sense when you think of [[Katakros]]' defining trait lookswise, and how his name even sounds like the Greek word.

==Soulbound==
The [[Age of Sigmar Roleplay]] supplement Champions of Death would naturally introduce the Ossiarch Bonereapers as a playable race, though like their gold-plated counterparts they aren't so much Soulbound as much as they are outsiders made to join a Binding for some other agenda. For those bound to Nagash, the purpose is obvious enough: The Ossiarchs are the ultimate form of his perfect future and are (almost) unquestionably loyal, sometimes even researching the uses of Soulfire in order to perfect the process of making more of their own. Their word is akin to the word of their god and thus cannot be refused. Those who join an Order Binding find themselves in one of two camps: Either as allies of desperation for a common goal or as a haven to escape from their place as an outcast in the rigid society of the Ossiarch legions that would see them recycled due to either defects or defiance.

Interestingly, their secondment to the party does not render them exempt from the Tithe. Even if their job would otherwise see them merely hoarding those bones for themselves, Ossiarch heroes are still forced to collect bones during any period of downtime. While this would sound odd for a party where the Ossiarch is ostensibly aligned with folks who would balk at the sight of such a deed, this is the only way for them to repair their frames (as they do have natural armor like the [[Sylvaneth]]).

You can have your Ossiarch hail from the following Legions:
*'''Mortis Praetorians:''' The Legion of Orpheon Katakros himself, formed from the souls of his greatest soldiers and generals in life. They are the most determined of the legions, willing to use the bones of both friend and foe alike in order to bolster their ranks. That said, the demand for reinforcements are so frequent that there are those bodies that are made incomplete, subject to the whispers of waylaid spirits before being completely formed. Whenever Katakros sees interest in a Binding, he will often send a member of his Praetorians to accompany them and enforce order. Heroes from the Mortis Praetorians can spend an action to test Intuition against an opponent's Guile, allowing them to predict an enemy's move. In addition, all archetypes gain the Tactician talent.
*'''Ivory Host:''' A legion sent to conquer Ghur, famous for slaying mighty monsters. While they obviously show scorn towards the primitive and weak cultures of the mortals here, the influence of the realm is very obvious from the frequent use of amber and use of animal bones in order to complete their tithe to the clearly caged savagery they unleash in the heat of battle. Heroes from the Ivory Host deal extra damage for each point of damage they suffer. In addition, all archetypes gain the Battle Rage talent.
*'''Stalliarch Lords:''' A prideful band often formed from fresh bone and meat, the Ossiarchs of this legion are capable of some form of honor...just not in any way normal folk would understand. Often have they given near-impossible tasks for mortals to accomplish, either so they could claim their tithe or to see if the challenger can accomplish some greater goal worth the interest. That said, that latter part is often only carried out for amusement rather than any genuine respect. Heroes from the Stalliarch Lords can challenge an enemy, forcing the difficulty of all attacks to reach a high difficulty but making any hits against you deal double damage.
*'''Petrifex Elite:''' A legion of nomadic bonecast, formed from the remains of ancient civilizations and forgotten graves. This legion views the binding with particular interest, seeing the parallels in becoming a whole greater than the sum of it parts and their own process of erasing all identity and originality - sometimes an Ossiarch might even have the remains of a former Soulbound in their body. Heroes from the Petrifex Elite are better armored than other Bonereapers, but they can't improve their bony armor in any way and can only repair it through collecting their tithe. In additionally, they can double their training for either navigating ancient ruins or recalling ancient history.
*'''Null Myriad:''' Nagash's original legion, sent to keep watch on the realm's edges until the Necroquake forced them to return and be reinforced using the Black Pyramid's skeletal work gangs so they could better resist magic. As outsiders among the Ossiarchs, they are the most-versed in dealing with threats from beyond the edges of a realm and their special properties allow them to protect the very nature of the Binding. Heroes from the Null Myriad can spell Mettle to ignore the effects of a spell and double their training when dealing with exploring, navigating or withstanding the edges of the realms.
*'''Crematorians:''' Ignited by the fires of the Shyish Nadir, the life of a Bonereaper here will often be short as the flames slowly consume their bony shells. This nature has led to many among their ranks questioning the wisdom of the skelepope's plans to make an army that can burn out, though they often cover it up with other purposes - such as studying the benefits of Soulfire and how it can sustain their bodies. Heroes from the Crematorians are constantly ablaze, letting them suffer a wound to restore Mettle. When they die, they explode and make the area where they stood a burning waste.

The Ossiarch Bonereapers have access to the '''Immortis Guard''', '''Kavalos Deathrider''', '''Morghast''', '''Mortisan''', or '''Necropolis Stalker''' archetypes

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Bonereaper vs Kharadron.jpg|Sky Pirates vs Bone Golems.
File:Cavalry-bonereapers.jpg|A new challenger emerges for the position of "best non-monstrous cavalry": Kavalos Deathriders.
File:Gothizzar Harvester.jpg|"Oh those bones, oh those bones, oh those skeleton bones. Oh mercy how they scare! With the toe bone connected to the foot bone..."
File:Bonereaper city.jpg|Welcome to Necrotopia. Please remember to remove all skin and flesh before you reach customs.
File:Skeleton sales pitch (comic by Baalbuddy).png|An alternate way to collect the Bone-Tithe.
</gallery>

==See Also==

*[[Nagash]], their jerk of a god whom they give their undisputed loyalty to (yes, really!)

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

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Katakros

2023-06-08T11:12:16Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

[[File:Katakros.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Dude gave himself a bulge bigger than most heads.]]
{{Topquote|I take no joy in this. Nor do I despair. It is merely something that must be done. All we ask is payment of the Tithe. These people had their chance! They chose their fate! Perhaps I am wrong though... perhaps I deceive myself. For in truth, there is... some joy in this.|Katakros on his 9 to 5.}}

{{Topquote|[[Just_As_Planned|All proceeds as I have predicted.]]|Katakros, shortly after losing the majority of his army and having his body destroyed.}}

Full name Orpheon Katakros, the newest member of the <s>DK Crew</s> [[Mortarch]]s, Katakros was revealed after a series of hints. The first was he had died and returned again and again, and had survived "The fall of the Storm God's hammer", which was revealed to mean he'd fought Sigmar himself one-on-one and was defeated. The other hints were that he died a general defending his birth city, and came back in death as an Emperor. His promotional material was visually similar to [[Drachenfels]], while some hopefuls thought that there was Tomb Kings influence in the army he led. This also came after the plot had Lady Olynder working to free an ancient evil that Sigmar had beef with in the past, which got many people thinking he was either Drachenfels or [[Krell]].

What was the end result of all this speculation? Orpheon Katakros; a new character nobody had ever heard about before being introduced in an ''"oh by the way"'' fashion. If he had a voice, it would be Jim Parsons The Big Bang Theory (or for a serious example, Stephen Lang).

==History==
===Life===
Hailing from the Realm of Beasts, in life he was an incredibly talented [[Creed|tactician and strategist]], and thought it was his destiny to conquer and rule everywhere he went, Alexander the Great-style. However, he was bad at making friends due to being a bossy perfectionist and a callous workaholic. It also didn't help that in the army that he served, the vast majority of the upper command structure was made up of appointed aristocrats who did not take kindly to this bossy commoner upstart who had somehow risen all the way to become a general.

He died for the first time against Beastmen when he made a charge but no one was there to support his autistic ass. As a result he got plucked off his chariot and ripped to pieces by a Ghorgon, (just managing [[Awesome|to deal a fatal blow to it as he died]]).

===Death and Undeath===
[[File:Katakros-rito.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Katakros back in the Age of Myth.]]
Katakros' manner of death gave him a disdain for mounts of all kinds, so in undeath he walks everywhere. His soul first went to the afterlife Ossia, [[Communism|a place where hard workers are rewarded by getting to do everything they enjoyed about their jobs with none of the downsides]]. Neighboring Ossia was another belonging to the same culture known as Necros, a place where the very same decadent aristocracy that had criticized and belittled Katakros' work lived out their afterlives being pampered and tended to as they had been in life. Seeing this disparity between Ossia and Necros, and since neither afterlife had a god they were on their own in disputes, Katakros began harboring an ever growing resentment for his spoiled neighbors, [[Communism|feeling that they were unworthy of such a reward in comparison to all that he had done in his life.]] Katakros' skill saw him rise to the position of general, but no one liked him there either because he was as callous and self-centered as ever - to the point that even Ossia's famously ruthless military officers were shocked - which reminded them of Nagash.

Speaking of the sociopathic super-skeleton, this was at the time Nagash had just started his omnoming of all the death gods and afterlives. By then Katakros led Ossia and wasn't keen to become Nagash's snack, so he annxed Necros under his rule (Necros was so decadent they didn't even have a standing army). When Nagash's armies arrived, Katakros managed to defend his turf better than anyone else, since while none of the people liked Katakros, they could gauge his callousness and he got results. It got to the point Nagash had to step in personally to curb stomp him. Katakros, seeing the situation was hopeless, offered his services before he was stomped out and Nagash actually didn't stomp and said yes, which should say a lot about this boy.

He became one of the first Bonereapers, which was all fine and dandy until Sigmar invaded. Having been ordered to stop Sigmar by Nagash, Katakros took his forces to engage him despite thinking he could not actually win. After Sigmar smashed through his forces, Katakros, being ''"perhaps the greatest military strategist - living, or dead - the Mortal Realms have ever known"'', figured that he would be able to take Sigmar on in a one-on-one duel, guessing that that his glaive might be able to kill Sigmar because it was made using similar Warpstone methods to [[Fellblade|the weapon that slew Nagash in ages past]]. Naturally, Sigmar concaved the fucking idiot's skull with Ghal Maraz and won. In the duel, Katakros is described as putting up a good fight but Sigmar was far too strong for him.

Since this was before Sigmar thought about making the best warriors/leaders into Stormcast, (and apparently he didn't feel like turning ''"perhaps the greatest military strategist (living, or dead) the Mortal Realms have ever known"'' into a Sigmarine later), he threw the general into a Stormvault. Katakros spent his time mulling over tactics, stewing in his rage towards Sigmar and probably [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZa79QGDeo8 bouncing a ball against the opposite wall to pass the time]. Unfortunately, rather than do something sensible like move it someplace Nagash couldn't easily access it, Sigmar trusted the enchantments to hide it from Nagash. Jump forward in time, Lady Olynder opened it up and here he is, ready to start the Tithe.

[[File:Katakros and the boys.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Katakros' final form (note the bulge here is smaller than his model's).]]That being said, Katakros is the Mortarch of the Necropolis, and has his own sub-faction, the [[Ossiarch Bonereapers]] (also called the Ossiarch legions). He also commands his own personal legion of 10,000 Cohorts within the Ossiarch legions called the Mortis Pretorians. Unlike most undead characters inhabiting thin bone-bodies that are inevitably broken, Katakros is a soul housed within a fucking massive bone-construct (one that has a ridiculous bulge that would make David Bowie from Labyrinth blush) and also leads a legion of bone constructs, each housing several souls to make them more effective then brittle skeletons or slow-ass zombies (but for some reason still less effective than grave guard, who cost only 10 points more than mortek guards). Apparently [[Nagash]] saw Sigmar's [[Stormcast Eternals|Stormcasts]] and wanted to steal the gimmick for his own in revenge for all those tasty souls he will never own.

Katakros is also described as being "perhaps the greatest military strategist (living, or dead) the Mortal Realms have ever known", which is at odds with his track record seeing as how he fought and lost three times in three major ways. He is also seen as the paragon of Nagash’s dreams for the Mortal Realms; a consummate professional focused solely of the efficient completion of tasks, unfettered by the weight of emotion or free will despite demonstrating a capacity for joy and self-deluding in the above quote.

Also, he looks like a [[Primarch]] cosplaying as an [[Alien|Alien: Covenant Space Engineer]]. Because apparently THAT is a successful enough idea to rip off, even if it does match the alien molded bone look of his skeleton Stormcasts.

===Wrath of the Everchosen===
[[File:Katakros on the march.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Say what you will about his tactics, he looks cool marching into battle.]]
At the climax of the Soul Wars, Katakros lead an invasion on the Eightpoints, which means he was guaranteed to run into Archaon, the guy who beat both Sigmar and Nagash while Katakros beat neither. Joining forces with Olynder and some Nighthaunt, Katakros led his armies in an attack on the Eightpoints while Archaon was away. After Olynder killed the Chaos Lord Archaon had left in charge, Katakros fortified the area around the Shyishian realmgate, making a fortress called the Arc Terminus, which looks like a massive skeletal hand reaching out from Shyish.

Then he led the Bonereapers against the Varanspire just as Archaon arrived back with his Varanguard. Unsurprisingly, all of his bodyguards and Zandtos fell before Archaon and Dorghar, so he took on the Everchosen himself and got his ass kicked after a lengthy fight. Convalescing back in the Arc Terminus, Katakros even tried to play it off as a [[just as planned]] moment, having made a series of back-up bodies just like his first one and transferring his soul to one of them. He also planned for a defeat, intending to learn more about Archaon each time they fight and eventually kill him.

So now he's heading right back to the fight, likely leading to Archaon ripping him apart a second time, except now Katakros is now without the majority of his army and, due to the properties of the Slayer of Kings, the pain from Archaon's killing blow(s) didn't fade even when Katakros transferred bodies.

It seems he has adopted Nagash's habit of declaring his own failures as mere setbacks, which debatably may hold water, given that both characters are able to continuously come back after getting pummeled or their plans getting disrupted. That, and the tendency that even if their overall plans are thwarted, there is usually lasting damage that has been done regardless. The main reason for this plan being to gather slowly gather intelligence on the forces of Archaon with each loss, despite the possibility that Archaon could turn it back on him and learn how Katakros' forces work. He already showed his best and brightest soldiers and generals in his initial put down of the Bonereapers, so now Katakros can build a strategy around that. Katakros isn’t trying to conquer the Eightpoints in a a swift decisive manner, rather he wants to stay dug in and play the long game, slowly building his repository of knowledge and army until he deems the time is appropriate. Why he thinks this is a valid strategy at the rate he's losing ground and troops is left a mystery, since while Chaos can't resurrect their followers if they've harvested body and soul by the Bonereapers, there's still the daemonic armies... rendering the war of attrition Katakros wants to get into nigh impossible to win. But much like his master, the Mortarch of the Necropolis is stubbornly patient.

===Broken Realms===
As part of her scheme to attain godhood, [[Morathi]] petitioned Katakros to launch another attack against the Varanspire so that (most of) Archaon’s forces would be distracted so she and her Stormcast “allies” could accomplish their own goal. Katakros agreed after being paid in a buttload of shadow magic infused bones and deciding that many of the mortals would die anyway in whatever their attack was so it all works out.

What doesn’t work out though is his master Nagash getting his skull caved in by Teclis and friends plus sealed away in Nagashizzar while Katakros is away on his Eightpoints campaign. Though Katakros doesn't seem to put out by this, and just continued with business as usual by playing the long game to conquer the Eightpoints. He didn't even mind Olynder working with Be'lakor since it hurt Sigmar's plans in a big way and swelled her ranks (even despite Neferata warning him that Be'lakor's plans would hurt them too). But despite this, cracks are starting to show (pun intended).

===Era of the Beast===
When Katakros was struck down by Archaon, the pain inflicted by the Everchosen's blade - the Slayer of Kings - didn't fully fade after he was remade. Even worse, Katakros is starting to hear whispering voices when alone and is repeatedly struck with unpredictable visions of harrowing anarchy and madness. They got so severe, he ordered the Mortisans to tear his body apart and rebuild it... which did nothing, as it turns out Katakros' very soul is wounded.

On top of this its revealed that his original assualt on the Eightpoints didn't go as much to plan as Katakros let on. While he didn't expect to take it in one campaign he never intended to have his forces to be decimated to the extent that they were, nor was him getting his body destroyed by Archaon technically part of the plan either. Apparently that whole "planning to lose from the start" was atleast him partially trying to save face. In fact the initial campaign had been a near disaster with his legions devastated in Archaons counterattack.

Telling no-one about these issues, Katakros tried to distract himself, and found his attention turning to Ghur, his former homeland. Due to the upheaval of Kragnos' return, the natives of Ghur have become more resistant to the Bonereapers, particularly against the Ivory Host currently campaigning there. It's implied Katakros is turning his attention less onto the Eightpoints and more on conquering his former homeland. Things went from bad to worse when Katakros' bone form started crumbling to dust, forcing his soul to move to one of the backup bodies. This happened again, meaning the soul damage from Archaon's sword means each body Katakros gets will eventually crumble to dust. Katakros's hatred for Sigmar is now matched by his hatred of Archaon, who has arguably done more damage to him than even Sigmar did. To this end Katakros has himself accompanied by Mortisans at all times to try and figure out a solution for the problem.

==Trivia==
* Katakros' last name likely derives from the Greek root word for cataphract, which is "kataphraktos". The word literally means "armored" or "completely enclosed", fitting for Katakros' new undead body made of all-enclosing inscrolled bone which acts as armor. It's also fitting as cataphracts were soldiers with a vital tactical role, and Katakros in life and death is a soldier obsessed with tactics. There's also an ironic element, as cataphracts were cavalry which Katakros has never seemed to be; he was a charioteer in life and in undeath he actively avoids using mounts.

[[Category: Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category: Ossiarch Bonereapers]]

Ogor Mawtribes

2023-06-08T11:10:50Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

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{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Ogor Mawtribes|Logo=F8eadd7a4470a5bc529656620e73680f.png|Alliance=Destruction|Motto=Me and the boys (and the girls, we all love to eat).}}

{{topquote|Gluttony kills more than the sword; wine has drowned more men than the sea.|A Portuguese Proverb}}

{{topquote|Authority, not truth, makes law.|Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan}}

{{topquote|You know, Ben Franklin once said: eat to live, don’t live to eat. Hm? Well it’s an easy decision Boyd. You can either famine, or feast. Live or die.|Colqhoun, Ravenous}}

Rebranded as “Ogors”, everyone’s favorite balding overeating wrestlers still exist in the Mortal Realms. They are now collectively known as the '''Mawtribes''' and survive as nomadic warrior clans, traveling from realm to realm wrecking shit and eating the finest cuisine.

Within the Mawtribes exists two distinct subcultures; the ''Gutbusters'', who are most like [[Ogre Kingdoms|their traditional depiction]], and the ''Beastclaw Raiders'', comprised of mounted ogors, hunters, and other icy monsters, who somehow became cursed to produce an infinite snowstorm called the Everwinter where ever they go.

==Gutbusters==
{{topquote|Gobble the brains and gorge on the meat. Chew on the eyes and crunch the feet. Batter the softflesh, give ‘em a prod, into the maw of the Gulping God.|A traditional Ogor feasting song}}
The on-foot “standard” Ogors and the largest of the various Ogor sub-cultures, the Gutbusters worship Gorkamorka as “The Great Beast that Consumes the World” or the “Gulping God”, literally their justification for eating everything in sight. They move and conduct raids according to the Mawpath, a cyclical pattern that is determined by the tribe’s Butchers and leaves massive bite-like trails across the realms. Fitting the bigger scale of the setting, the Gutbusters are divided up into multiple smaller tribes called warglutts, with the overall Gutbuster Mawtribe being led by an Overtyrant, who has numerous other Tyrants as vassals leading the smaller tribes. The best way to think of the Mawtribes is like a fleet of ships. The Overtyrant is the admiral, controlling the whole thing, while each ship has a Tyrant as the captain, and a Slaughtermaster as the navigator. The Bloodpelt Hunters act as scouts or alternative navigators for the Warglutt, hunting down the biggest of prey items and reporting to the Tyrant.

The numerous warglutts are constantly on the lookout for new food sources and plunder. Border settlements, beastherds, fortresses, cities and even simple farmlands are all on the menu as far as the Gutbusters are concerned. And Warglutts are also just as happy raiding other Ogor settlements of their hard-won food stores. However, unlike say Orruks who crave fighting above all others (and don't really care who they fight) and rarely strike any kind of diplomatic accord with other grand-alliances, The Gutbusters focus on food and eating (along with an arguably more complex cultural system compared to most other destruction forces) and being the only destruction faction to build permanent settlements means that truces and even short-term alliances have been made with the forces of Order, Chaos and even Death (with adequate payments in food and plunder that is). In fact mercenary Ogors, known as Maneaters, are not even that uncommon in more primal regions (especially Ghur). With Mercenary companies of Ogors even helping cities fight off other destruction forces or even other Ogors. This is not to say that they are completely trustworthy however, as Ogors can quickly turn on their employers and allies if they see a better deal.

Besides the the Ogors themselves, the Gutbuster Mawtribes are also host to dimutive greenskins known as Gnoblars. These small creatures long ago made a deal with the Gutbusters Ogors to become a servant cast in exchange for protection from those that sought them harm (especially the Orruks and Grots who took great delight in bullying them). They are considered camp followers and trail close behind the moving Warglutts when they go out hunting/raiding, doing the menial labour that would distract the Ogors from eating. In addition to them numerous pack animals are brought to carry the food and loot (or just as back-up food), with Rhinox being a notable example and trailing far behind them are the ravenous Gorgers. Ogors for some unknown reason can come down with a sickness known as the "Empty Belly Curse", though its believed to be caused by displeasing the Gulping God, that drives them mad due too no longer being able to derive any enjoyment or taste from food. These are caged up or thrown into caverns or pits, until being released by the tribes Butchers to throw them at the enemy and giving them the embrace of death (as their fate is considered a fate far worse than death).

Arguably the most prized possession and symbol of a Mawtribe’s power is their Great Mawpot, a giant cauldron built from the melted down loot the tribe has taken from defeated enemies and then blessed by their Slaughtermasters to be a focal point of their gastromancy. Being so drenched in raw magics, these pots are able to contain even [[Nighthaunt|ethereal]] and [[Daemon|daemonic]] entities. The Mawtribe will sometimes lug these titanic cooking vessels into battle to quickly reenergize the Ogors present.

Occasionally, Butchers and Slaughtermasters will all take temporary leave of their tribes and gather to form a Gollop. One part swap meet, and another part religious pilgrimage, these shamans will all come together to share recipes, stories, and of course, food. The sheer amount of magic emanated from such a concentration of Butchers causes the very land around them to turn cannibal, with oceans rising to swallow the land and mountains trying to extend upwards to break through clouds. Occasionally, a Grand Gollop is called (how or why is unclear), which has caused entire mountains to tear themselves out of the ground and tried to consume forests and oceans around them.

==Beastclaw Raiders==

{{topquote|Nothing burns like the cold.|George R. R. Martin}}

[[File:Beastclaw-art.jpeg|thumb|WINTER IS COMING]]
The second major Ogor subculture and based around the riding of vicious winter beasts. While your standard Ogors may choose to stay in one place and establish its own territory, the Beastclaw are constantly on the move from place to place. And with very good reason as every tribe of Beastclaw Raiders is constantly followed by a mystical winter storm that threatens to engulf them if they remain too long in one location. Consequently this has led these Ogors to develop a nomadic existence and constantly be on the look out for new targets.

Rather than following the Mawpath, the Beastclaw Raiders have a more organic and randomized marching pattern. Usually they are either following a migrating herd of animals/roaming army, following the priestly guidance of their Huskard Torr, or just simply trying to outrun the Everwinter. Needless to say as mentioned, they don’t stay still for very long. In addition to basic Ogrish, the BCR have their own unique language called Svoringar, which they use to keep a level of secrecy regarding their own tribes. This extends to how they are seen by other Ogors, with each Mawtribe having both a basic name and a BCR name.

===The Everwinter===
While this blizzard does reduce everything around it to a whiteout, it oddly enough doesn’t kill the BCR. Instead it just freezes them in place until they thaw out either through time, plentiful fire magic or any number of other heat sources. This colossal ice storm takes various forms based on the Ogors it’s following, from fist sized hailstones, a snow white mist, a roaring hurricane, and much more. Little information exists on what exactly the Everwinter is. Though several ideas exist among Ogors regarding its origins.

*The original Beastclaw Raiders somehow pissed off Gorkamorka who creates the Everwinter as a punishment, forcing the always hungry Ogors to constantly move hunting grounds or become frozen statues.
*Sigmar conjured the storm to curse the Beastclaw Raiders and deny them food.
*The OG Beastclaw Raiders unwittingly freed some mischievous ice gods that Nagash imprisoned in Shyish.
*The first Frost King, Baergut Vosjarl, was tricked by Mork into eating the frozen heart of a god beast called Jorhar the Ur-Bear, becoming the eye of the perpetual storm.
*The Curse of Black Winter was sweeping through the realm of life Ghyran, freezing everything in its wake. To prevent this curse from taking more of ''their'' food, an early Mawtribe of Ogors ate the very ground that the Curse took root in, and unwittingly became cursed themselves with the Black Winter’s rage. Supposedly in gratitude for this service, [[Alarielle]] granted these Ogors an affinity with beasts of the mountain and tundra so they can stay a step ahead of their curse.

As time went on, the BCR began to revere and worship the Everwinter as an aspect of Gorkamorka, who is known as the “Hungering Predator” in the eyes of these Ogors. They regularly leave live prey and prisoners chained to the ground to be swallowed up by ice and snow, as well as the corpses of their dead brothers, saying they belong to the storm. Additionally, the BCR refuse to eat their dead for similar reasons, making them the only Ogors who actually don’t support cannibalism. In addition more than a few Ogors have even made use of the storm as a weapon and deterrent against their enemies. Such as intentionally leading the storm into potential raiding targets to soften them up, or using the extreme weather conditions to ward off attacking armies. Not to mention the honing of ice related magics has been heavily utilzed by experience Huskards to freeze whole lands and armies.

More than just the Ogors follow the Everwinter though, many arctic monsters and beasts will see the moving ice age and decide just to follow it to new hunting grounds. Such as the Frost sabres and Mournfangs (beasts often utilized by the Beastclaw). Two noteworthy examples of this would be the Icefall Yhetees, large furred covered beasts that can wield ice magics whom have developed a close relationship with the Huskard Torrs, and the [[Bonesplitterz|Orruks]] of the Icebone Warclan, who thrive in frigid temperatures while also making heavy use of mounts, they have come to see the frost covered Ogors as blessed prophets of their equally icy depiction of Gorkamorka.

Following the Necroquake, the Everwinter has been fluctuating in its size and intensity amongst the BCR. Sometimes it completely vanished, leaving the Raiders godless and little to no different than the Gutbusters. And other times it increases to continent sized blizzards, swallowing entire empires in supernatural snow. The former of the two is also a likely explanation for why BCR units would turn up in Gutbuster armies, as without the storm they have little reason to constantly be on the move and are more vulnerable without the storm keeping adversaries at bay, with many being absorbed into larger warglutts.

===Organization===
Likely the most interesting aspect of BCR is just how organized and disciplined they are, at least when compared to the other Destruction factions. Each BCR Mawtribe is led by a Frost King, and the tribe is divided into various warbands called Alfrostuns, each led by a Frostlord. Frostlords are chosen in an intricate ritual called the Rite of Hoctgar, where all of the Ogor elders go out on a hunt. They bring back the biggest game for the tribe to eat, and whoever has their game eaten from the most is declared the Frostlord. The Alfrostun is further divided into smaller packs, each with a specific purpose.
*'''The Jorlbad''', also called the “First Hand” or the “Fighting Hand”, is the primary hunting party of the Alfrostun. They make up the bulk of the clan and are always leading the charge. They are led by an Ogor called the Huskard Jorl, or “Favored of the Frostlord”, and is regarded as the most prestigious warrior in the clan, apart from the Frostlord himself.
*'''The Eurlbad''', also called the “Second Hand” or the “Eating Hand”, follows behind the Jorlbad to cover their flank and clean up any leftovers. Their leader is called the Huskard Eurl, “Second Favored”. Although they do play an important role in the Alfrostun, it’s not uncommon for Huskard Eurl’s to feel a slight bit envious torwards the far more awarded and lauded Huskard Jorl.
**It should be noted that the Huskards Jorl and Eurl are not fixed positions. The Frostlord decides prior to their battle which of his lieutenants is leading what formation.
* '''The Torrbad''', or the “Clapping Hand”, are seen as the Heralds of the Everwinter, being comprised of the surliest Thundertusks of the tribe. They attract large packs of Icefall Yhetees thanks to their attuned nature to the storm. Their leader, the Huskard Torr, is the “Voice of Winter” and is a very quiet figure, often lost in constant prayers to the Everwinter. They are seemingly chosen by the Everwinter itself, and once a Huskard Torr is picked, they will remain so till they die.
*'''The Skals''' are groups of Frost Sabres, each led by an Icebrow Hunter. They operate outside of the Huskard chain of command, reporting directly to the Frostlord. Acting as a vanguard force, they scout ahead to find new prey and ambush enemies.
*Making up each of these warbands are even smaller groups of beast riders. They are the Atta (Great Strength) packs, Svo (Power of the Blizzard) packs, Otri (Endless Hunt) packs, Fvor (Campfire) packs, and Hirf (Vast Sky) packs.

==History==
===Age of Myth===
Given that Ogors don’t really write down their history (save for crude cave-man like glyphs and paintings), most of their past is shrouded in a haze of exaggeration and grandiose creation myths. For example, according to Firebellies, Aqshy was created by the fiery burp of Gorkamorka after he ate a massive star. Thankfully other races have kept track of their origins, which just so happens to include their encounters with the ogrish race.

Ogors, much like the Greenskins, have always existed in the Mortal Realms, living in primitive tribal cultures. The oldest Ogors claim that they crawled out the rivers of drool made by Gorkamorka when he first began gnawing on the Realms. When Sigmar beat the snot out of Gorkamorka, he earned the green god’s loyalty and tasked him with slaying the various warped monsters and Godbeasts of the Realms (partially to keep him and his followers out of trouble). The Ogors, though miffed they couldn’t eat humie, stuntie, or knife-ear meat, gladly followed the Gulping God in his monstrous crusade. One such crusading target were the Sky Titans of Ghyran, a more intelligent breed of [[Sons of Behemat|gargants]] that colonized the Great Green Torc/Tor Crania (Behemat’s sleeping head). These colossal beings lived in floating gun fortresses above the Harmonis Veldt and were famed for their usage of black powder weaponry. Gorkamorka, still likely holding onto his rivalry with the giant Godbeast, tore into the forts of his spawn with ease, and the Ogors scavenged the rubble to create the first Ironblasters and Leadbelchers. Along their rampage, they came across the weedy [[Gnoblar|Gnoblars]] of Chamon who approached the Ogors with a deal; in exchange for protection from the bully like Orruks and Grots, the Gnoblars would serve the Ogors as a servant caste. The Ogors naturally agreed and soon colonies of Gnoblars were commonplace amongst the original Mawtribes.

At some point, the original Beastclaw Raiders, who served as the vanguard huntsmen of Gorkamorka’s forces, did...something...and now the perpetual ice age that is the Everwinter follows them. One Mawtribe that gained particular notoriety was the Boulderhead, or Svard in their Beastclaw tongue. The Frost King Braggoth Vardruk was revered by many of Gorkamorka’s followers during the Age of Myth. He took his Alfrostun on a cross-country tour of the Realms on a search for the fabled Golden Hunting Grounds of Ghur, but he was tricked by Aelven sorcerers and ended up colliding straight into the Everwinter, where they were flash frozen for hundreds of years.

===Age of Chaos===
Following the collapse of Sigmar’s Pantheon, Ogors all across the Realms rejoiced at the chance to eat whatever they wanted again. The Mawtribes were quick to turn their rampant hunger on the abandoned humans, aelves, and duardin. Some Ogors even going as far as directly fighting under the banners of Chaos as mercenaries (these particular Ogors would go on to become known as Maneaters, and the name has since become synonymous with veteran Ogor mercenaries, even the ones who work for the “good guys”). Even then however, it wasn’t uncommon for an Ogor to turn on his employer should a deal be broken, such as the case with Chaos Lord Slathynex, who made the mistake of allowing his manticore to eat an Aelf. An Aelf he promised to Klugg the Flatulent of the Meatfist Mawtribe. Such a transgression was not to be taken lightly, and the Ogors consumed every last Chaos Warrior present.

===Age of Sigmar===
The arrival of the Stormcast Eternals instantly affected the Ogor Mawtribes by accidentally thawing out many frozen BCR tribes, including Braggoth and company. The starved Raiders quickly fell upon their bewildered “saviors”, only to discover that these beings couldn’t be eaten. So they instead bolted and reunited with the rest of the Boulderhead Mawtribe, which had been taken over by some upstart Overtyrant in their absence. Braggoth was quick to overthrow the usurper and declare himself Frost King. He would later go on to wage war against the Meatfist Mawtribe and their allies, culminating in the Battle of Ice and Gold in front of the gates to Globb Glittermaw’s Great Gutfort. It was a hard fought victory, but the Gutbusters managed to push back the ambitious Frost King, who severed all ties the Boulderheads had with the other Mawtribes, determined to rule them all.

As the Age began, the Ogors remained largely unchanged. They sold themselves out as mercenaries to who ever had the meat and money, only now they had more customers thanks to the opening of Azyr’s gates. The various Mawtribes all develop unique relationships with the Sigmarines, such as the Meatfist actively avoid confrontation with the Eternals, or the Thunderbellies, who have learned how to actually consume the fleeing souls of slain Stormcast. While many Ogors found plenty to do in the Realmgate Wars, many more followed the banner of Gordrakk’s Great Waaagh!, seeing the Fist of Gork as the ultimate source of food and fun. The onset of the Soul Wars and Nagash’s Necroquake is seen by the various Slaughtermasters and Butchers as “Gork’s Gutrumble”, a sign of great displeasure by their god that throws off eons old mawpaths and tears through hunting grounds. It even disrupted the Everwinter, making it stronger or causing it to up and fizzle out. The result is a variety of warglutts and alfrostuns mixing together as the weak are absorbed by the strong. The Butchers insist that the Ogors must devote themselves to consuming the entire Mortal Realms in order to reverse these dark times, spurring them into greater acts of consumption and devastation.

====Broken Realms====
Several Mawtribes and Alfrostuns have flocked together to follow the Fist of Gork Gordrakk and his march on the free city Excelsis. The Loonking Skragrott was also apart of this destruction bandwagon and ordered a Warglutt of Ogors led by Tyrant Glottor Bhulk to move ahead of their main force to offer themselves as sellswords for the city defenders. Before the Big Waaagh arrived at the city, they ran into a reawakened and agitated [[Kragnos]] who unofficially took control over the horde. They all went nuts when they came to Excelsis and quickly set about destroying and looting everything. The aforementioned Ogor mercenaries turned on their employers as soon as Skragrott gave them a signal. The horde was eventually pushed out and scattered after Lord Kroak and Morathi-Khaine tricked Kragnos into running through a portal to the opposite end of Ghur. Glottor and his company made it out with copious quantities of loot and meat, loudly declaring that they won the Siege of Excelsis and eagerly wait for the day they can return to the City of Secrets and claim more of its riches.

====Era of the Beast====
Despite feeling invigorated by Kragnos’ emergence, the Ogor Mawtribes have faced tough resistance from the Dawnbringer Crusades that march from Sigmar’s cities. These grand expeditions tear up their Mawpaths and expand so rapidly that the Ogors can’t keep up with the cities being erected. Some have been hired by the Crusades to assist in the colonization efforts, but it’s actually a ruse to send the bulk of the tribe away from their Gutfort so they could tear it down. This initially sounds like a deceptively smart idea, but many a Dawnbringer has underestimated how strong a pissed off Ogor is…especially one that returns home to realize they’ve been hoodwinked.

==Notable Mawtribes==

* '''Meatfist:''' The most powerful Mawtribe around, who stain their right arm in blood to imitate their founder Grawl Meatfist. They are known for being verbose braggarts who constantly flaunt their power and legacy. While they are certainly strong in their own right, the Meatfist’s rise to power can mostly be attributed to the sheer number of Ogors they can muster. Vast tides of sweaty Gluttons can be summoned by their Tyrants almost instantly and used to bully smaller Mawtribes into joining the Meatfist fold, furthering this snowball effect. They are led by the Overtyrant Globb Glittermaw, a Gargant-sized Ogor who is essentially the second coming of [[Greasus Goldtooth]], being the unusually intelligent leader who teaches his people the value of material wealth. Their base is the colossal Great Gutfort in Ghur, where Globb hosts annual feasts, each year intending to outdo the last. Also the Meatfist are the “geniuses” who taught the [[Sons of Behemat|Gargants]] the benefits of mercenary life.
** ''Tarkan Warglutt'': Native to the region of Hallost in Shyish, this roaming band of Gutbusters premiered in the Feast of Bones box set as the first enemies of the [[Ossiarch Bonereapers]]. Their Tyrant is Kagruk Kin-eater, a brash and youthful warlord who actually survived his encounter with Nagash’s pet project and swore vengeance upon the Bonereapers.
** ''Bloody Stump Warglutt'': A Ghyranite tribe led by Tyrant Ogbort Oakeater, who has an obsessive craving for [[Sylvaneth]] bark. His ogors have torn countless acres of the Futilian Wood to sunders to drive out the children of Alarielle where they are hacked into a green pulp. Anyone who dares grumble about this vegetarian diet are swiftly slaughtered by Ogbort, who then grinds up their bones as a seasoning for his Dryad salad.

* '''Bloodgullet:''' A Mawtribe from [[Aqshy]] who are obsessed with drinking blood, to the point where they despise Firebellies as they believe all meat should be eaten raw. Maybe there's some truth to this obsession, as they have the most powerful Butchers and Slaughtermasters. They don't clean up any bloodstains on their bodies, giving them a disgusting appearance that usually causes them to be attacked on sight (which they don't mind, since it lets the food come to them). They are also quite fond of the Beastclaw Raiders, blood popsicles being a favored treat of the Mawtribe. Expectedly, the Bloodgullet often ally with the forces of Khorne, even going as far as being valued allies. One such example being Slaughtermaster Horg Blacktooth, who is a member of [[Korghos Khul]]’s inner circle of advisors. As to why the Bloodbound allow such magic users within their presence, it likely has something to do with the more shamanistic nature of how Gastromancy functions. The Bloodgullet have taken a somewhat unpopular view in the Era of the Beast by referring to Kragnos as a false idol. His rampages do nothing to satisfy Gorkamorka’s hunger; no, his earthquakes and tremors just make more and more mouths to feed, which he never bothers to satiate.
**''Split Cheek Warglutt'': This Warglutt broke into the eldritch library of a Tzeentch magister and began devouring all the occult artifacts and daemonic texts present. Before the enraged Magister could fight back, the Ogors then started to belch out streams of molten silver and enchanted fire, incinerating the Arcanite where he stood.

* '''Underguts:''' Ogors from [[Ulgu]] who dwell in underground caverns, and as such often ally (and feud) with the [[Gloomspite Gitz]]. They learned to reverse-engineer Duardin gunpowder technology, so they've got the most Leadbelchers and Ironblasters. They feed on the poisonous flora and fauna of Ulgu’s caves, resulting in their skin taking on a sickly pale glow. Led by the Overtyrant Grumlog Blisterhands, they prefer to start their invasions with absurd amounts of Ironblaster and Leadbelcher gunfire, then sending in their foot soldiers to clobber any survivors. Their gnoblars have also learned to create what are basically crude grenades by shoving tiny powder kegs full of scrap and shrapnel. The bulk of the Mawtribe is currently in Ghyran, having entered through the Nightskein Realmgate and begun carving a mawpath in the lush valleys of Verdia. This “Greenfeast campaign” as the Ogors call it is slowly moving closer to [[Cities of Sigmar|Hammerhal Ghyra]]. Some Underguts Ogors have also joined up with Gordrakk’s Waaagh! during the Siege of Excelsis, blasting catacombs underneath the city and fighting for control of the underground with the Skaven.

*'''Svard/Boulderhead''': Among the oldest of the Mawtribes, these ogors are also referred to as “unbreakable ones” in their native tongue. The Frost King Braggoth Vardruk and his warriors were frozen alive after going on a Realm-wide hunting spree during the Age of Myth. Now they’ve been thawed out by Sigmar’s Tempest and now are on a quest to rule all of Ogordom. They are recognized by a charred black right hand, their particularly savage mounts, and a megalomaniacal sense of entitlement in regards to leading all of Ogor kind. At one point, they were close allies with the Meatfist Mawtribe, but the two egos couldn’t stay allies for long, leading to the Svard War. It took ''multiple'' Mawtribes working together under the command of Overtyrant Globb Glittermaw to push back the Boulderhead from besieging the Great Gutfort. They were eventually defeated, and now the proud Boulderhead are pariahs among their kind. During the Realmgate Wars, Braggoth led a coalition of Beastclaw Raiders and Orruks from [[Orruk Warclans|Da Choppas Warclan]] in a siege of the Manticore Realmgate, destroying the Dreadfort established to defend it. This “Beast Hammer” as it was called has since been imitated many times by Tyrants, Frostlords, and Orruk Megabosses alike. The Necroquake sent their hunting parties on new twisted migration patterns, where they collided with the [[Beasts Of Chaos|Beastmen]] of the Allherd Greatfray.
**''Heroth Alfrostun'': Temporary allies of the Cerulean Comets Stormhost during the Realmgate Wars. Although their Stonehorns were invaluable in turning away hordes of Bloodbound, many a Stormcast Eternal were frozen solid once the Beastclaw Raiders left and the Everwinter moved in.

*'''Olwyr/Thunderbellies''': This raiding party has been supercharged by the Chamon Sky Road. The storms that follow them are teeming with alchemical electricity and uproarious winds. Their riders are feared for their startling speed, attacking much like the lightning surrounding them. They also have developed a way to feast on the Stormcast Eternals, or “lightning meat” as they call them, supposedly by slurping up their souls as they shoot up to Azyr. Unusual among the BCR, the Thunderbellies Mawtribe forgoes the typical Alfrostun structure and focus mostly on large formations of Mournfang Cavalry. Seeing as they live on the Sky Road, the Thunderbellies are often at odds with the [[Dragon Ogres|Dragon Ogors]]. One particular instance involved a shouting match and the frozen road under the Dragon Ogors collapsing, causing them to fall to their deaths. Most recently, they’ve begun a turf war with the [[Kharadron Overlords|sky fleets]] of Barak-Urbaz for control over the Lodebridges of Ayadah.

*'''Fraya/Winterbite''': The reclusive masters of the Ghur Scarlands, these Ogors act more like ghosts. They live dangerously close to the heart of the Everwinter, resulting in pale skin and beards permanently encrusted with ice. They are unusually patient and rely on ambush, fear tactics, and unorthodox warfare to make up for a lack of raw power. Expectedly, Winterbite primarily makes use of Frost Sabres and Icefall Yhetees to tear apart enemies before slinking back into the icy mist. Most recently, they’ve found their way to Shyish and earned the ire of Nagash (which admittedly isn’t a hard thing to do) after coating the land of Athanasia in the Everwinter. Nighthaunt processions were sent to deal with the Ogors, but they were frozen solid by the Everwinter and quickly devoured, much to the Great Necromancer’s perturbed shock.
**''Nibolg Alfrostun'': One of the larger clans of the Mawtribe. Led by the Frostlord Garl Gristlebeard, who won the right to leadership after bringing back the head of the Terrorghiest who slew the Alfrostun’s previous Frostlord.

*'''Sovanheng/Splintterguts''': Led by Frost King Vorgurn Loshar, this clan has ravaged Ghyran ever since the War of Life, a conflict they regularly participated in. They were known to their enemies and allies as the “Fists of Winter”. Their warriors fought on both sides of the war, frequently swapping between the Sylvaneth and the Maggotkin based on who has the better food. Currently their Alfrostuns are on the warpath to meet up with Gordrakk’s Great Waaagh!
**''Korbag Alfrostun'': This particular raid has developed a taste for the rancid meat of Nurgle’s followers and carved out their own hunting grounds along the coastline of Glut Lake. Frostlord Yoruk’s favorite food in particular are the pus-filled giant hagfish of the lake, favoring the challenge of bringing down the beasts and their slimy texture when consumed. The jury’s still out on whether or not Nurgle’s taint can corrupt the Ogors faster than their stomach acids dissolve their putrescent meals.

*'''Vintrbad''': These ogors are in service of Archaon and have been blessed by the Chaos Gods, warping their Everwinter into a storm of dark energies. They claim to still worship Gorkamorka, but their numerous Chaos tattoos and ruinous heraldry have given them a very untrustworthy reputation among fellow Mawtribes. And yes, their name does sound like "winter-bad".

*'''Olgost''': Desert nomads stuck wandering the Cryptwrd wastes in Shyish.

*'''Ayroth''': Empowered by the Fist of Gork, these BCR have become a part of Waaagh!Gordrakk. The Frost King Hrothgur is said to be a touch insane, driven mad by the collective Waaagh! energies.

*'''Jarkan''': An enigmatic raid led by the equally mysterious Storm Speaker, who claims to hear the words of Gork on the winds of the Everwinter. Apparently Tzeentch mixed their Everwinter into their bodies, causing them to have blue skin and their beasts to have blue fur.

*'''Bloatpaunch''': A smaller Mawtribe that was dominated and absorbed into the Boulderhead during the early years of the Svard War.

*'''Eyegougers''': Another conquered Mawtribe consumed by the Boulderhead. Interestingly shares a name with a tribe of Orcs and Goblins from the World-That-Was.

*'''Bilegulpers''': Bullied into joining the ever growing Meatfist Mawtribe.

*'''Clotted Throat''': Bullied into joining the ever growing Meatfist Mawtribe.

*'''Stoneteeth''': Bullied into joining the ever growing Meatfist Mawtribe. Woah. Deja vu.

*'''Skulgourd''': Entered Shyish after the Necroquake thinking it was an omen. Shockingly there wasn't much to eat in the land of death and they end up half starving, to the point that they all become Gorgers and end joining the [[Flesh-Eater Courts]].

==Soulbound==
To put it simply, ogors are the one race who can be found in both Order and Destruction Bindings with equal ease, meaning that their inclusion in the [[Age of Sigmar Roleplay]] ''Champions of Destruction'' splat was a foregone conclusion. After all, who ''doesn't'' want a two-ton killing machine that's smarter than a Troggoth on their team?! Being bigger and often smarter than just about any of the orruk and grot races makes ogors natural fits for their team, and as for siding with Order or Death, well, ogors ''are'' the Realms' premier mercenary race...

As for what they want? That's easy: '''FOOD!''' Promise an ogor food, and they'll fight for you, and that principle even largely applies to Bindings. Ogors are particularly likely to become Soulbound for the Gods of Order in exchange for access to particular favorite fodos that they have become fixated upon and which Orderly civilization can more readily provide them with. Even an ogor can figure out that becoming a known hero of Azyrheim will guarantee an endless flow of Azyrite star-tea, whereas raiding it will maybe turn up the odd intermittent crate.

Of course, an ogor's Soulbound companions have to learn to work with their new buddy's appetite - and with the presene of the Everwinter, if that ogor comes from the Beastclaw Raider mawtribes. Still, a Binding eventually learns to manage these quirks, and some even come to share the ogor's appreciation for food - which can be quite shocking to those watching when the Binding breaks for lunch.

The following Mawtribes have produced Soulbound Ogors so far:
* '''Bloodgullet:''' Obsessed with consuming blood and raw meat, the Bloodgullet are known for the power and prophetic abilities of their Butchers, whose visions are usually what guides an ogor from this mawtribe to become Soulbound, often finding unusual kindred spirits with Khainite aelves and vampires. Heroes from the Bloodgullet get "Bloodbath", which lets them suck the blood from a creature they just killed once per turn to heal themselves.
* '''Boulderhead:''' Bitter rivals of the Meatfist, these Beastclaw ogors often join Bindings in hopes of gaining allies, advancing the strength of the Boulderheads, and bringing down the Meatfist. Of course, the opportunity to go on ego-boosting grand quests doesn't hurt. Heroes from the Boulderhead get "Stubborn as Stone", providing the Hard to Kill talent to all archetypes. They also get to double their Armor against Hazards, and Hazards cannot ignore their armor.
* '''Meatfist:''' Largest and greatest of all the Mawtribes, they are commonly found amongst Bindings simply because... well, there's so damn many of them! The fact they have a very un-ogorish appreciation for material goods that aren't food, and the resurgent rivalry with the Boulderheads, only further pushes them to get out there and become Soulbound. Heroes of the Meatfist have the "Glittermaw's Lesson" trait, granting the Savvy talent to all archetypes. It also allows them to deal additional damage to an opponent, but only if they've been paid to kill them.
* '''Underguts:''' An ogor mawtribe that decided they had the best living underground, their days of chewing through stone took a new turn when they conquered a Duardin hold called Kazak Fulgar in Ulgu, which exposed them to the wonderful invention that is gunpowder. Underguts Ogors usually end up in Bindings with Gloomspite Gitz, but their interest in gaining access to more Duardin technological secrets often leads them to sign up for Order Bindings instead, especially those with duardin from the Ironweld Arsenal or the Kharadron. Heroes from the Underguts get "Thunderous Salvo", which grants +1 Range and +1 Damage to Blast and Spread Weapons, as well as boosting their Bite damage from +S to 1+S.
* '''Thunderbellies:''' This Mawtribe is perpetually chased through Chamon's Sky-Roads by the Everwinter in the form of a howling hurricane, and this has bred a love of seeing new sights in these Ogors. This desire to experience new horizons leads them to becoming Soulbound. Heroes from the Thunderbellies get "Riders of the Hurricane", letting them ignore Difficult Terrain, preventing their speed from ever getting reduced below Normal, and doubling training in skills used to resist being Restrained.
* '''Winterbite:''' These Beastclaw ogors view the Everwinter as a blessing, not a curse, and struggle to use it to their advantage rather than falling victim to it. Their greatest desire is to master the Everwinter, and ogors of this Mawtribe invariably become Soulbound to seek out something that may help them achieve this, whether it be investigating the Icefell Vaults, finding the lost bones of the godbeast Jorhar, or even speaking directly to Sigmar. Heroes from the Winterbite get "Ghosts in the Blizzard", which gives them Vanish as a bonus talent to all archetypes. They also not only double their Training and Focus for tests to hide in pale fog, snow and mist, but also lets them spend Mettle to take multiple actions in a surprise round.

The archetypes available to these Ogors are '''Butcher''', '''Firebelly''', '''Icebrow Hunter''' and '''Maneater'''.

{{Playable Factions in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar}}
[[Category:Ogor Mawtribes]]

Myrmourn Banshee

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[[File:99120207055 EtbMyrmournBanshees01.webp|thumb|"''[[Disenchanter|Haaand it ooooover, that thing, youuuuur, magic pooooooower]]''".]]
The '''Myrmourn Banshee''' are one of the three [[Banshee]] units in the [[Nighthaunt]] - the other two being the [[Dreadscythe Harridan]]s and [[Tomb Banshee]]s, and are the closest in appearance to [[Lady Olynder]] herself. In life, they were all witches that liked to mess with necromancy, death magic - generally all the nasty eldritch stuff you're not meant to touch. But their mistake was that while they were doing this, they forgot to pay proper respect to [[Nagash|Bone Daddy]], as is often the case.

Once they died, his punishment for them was essentially the tactic suburban white mothers use when they catch their kids smoking; if you like it so much, you can smoke the whole carton. Only in this case, instead of having to smoke a carton of cigarettes, [[Grimdark|they have to spend the rest of eternity burdened with an insatiable hunger for magic, having lost literally every other sense and being unable to see anything other than magic and its sources]].

Myrmourn Banshees show up as a playable Nighthaunt archetype in the [[Age of Sigmar Roleplay]] game.

{{Nighthaunt-Units}}

Nighthaunt

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{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Nighthaunt|Logo=LadyOlynderMortarch.png|Alliance=Death|Motto=Wooo!! I'm a ghosty!}}

{{topquote|Welcome, foolish mortals, to the haunted mansion!|Ghost Host}}

{{topquote|As those who believe in the visibility of ghosts can easily see them, so it is always easy to see repulsive qualities in those we despise and hate.|Frederick Douglass}}

{{topquote|A house is never still in darkness to those who listen intently; there is a whispering in distant chambers, an unearthly hand presses the snib of the window, the latch rises. Ghosts were created when the first man woke in the night.|J.M. Barrie}}

The '''Nighthaunt''' are a faction in [[Warhammer: Age of Sigmar]]. They are an army of ghosts who hate and envy the living. Like all undead, they're part of Grand Alliance: Death, and thus owe their allegiance to [[Nagash]]. Previously a minor faction, Age of Sigmar second edition promotes them to new heights of relevance with them even being in the starter set.

Most of the Nighthaunt have forms that reflect their past crimes, and said crimes range from actual wrong-doing to something Nagash doesn't like; an example of the latter are the Nighthaunts called Dreadscythe Harridans, the spirits of healers [[Grimdark|who Nagash turned into tormented killing machines for the 'crime' of saving people from dying and thus preventing their souls from coming to Shyish, and he left them aware of their actions but unable to control themselves]]. This was done as either a kind of an ironic punishment or Nagash's idea of a joke, which just goes to show how much of a hypocrite he is, since all of his power came from scheming, theft, sacrilege, murder, genocide, and a Warpstone drug addiction.

==History==
Nighthaunts have always been around in some form, some artificially created by necromancers, others naturally arose by powerful winds of Amethyst Magic. The first all-Nighthaunt army was created by Nagash during the beginning of the Age of Chaos, when he turned the spirits of valiant warriors who swore oaths to fight for noble causes and never for coin into mercenaries who killed in exchange for payments of souls, also establishing his firm love for ironic torture. They only became a true big player during the Necroquake caused by Nagash's Black Pyramid, where vast waves of Shyish energy caused the reanimation of millions of Nighthaunts. Unfortunately for Nagash, the hordes had no leadership and didn't know anything about tactics or strategy, and the force that could've ushered in his ultimate victory mostly just got sidetracked.

Seeing that these hordes needed a leader, he appointed Lady Olynder to be the Mortarch in charge of the Nighthaunt. She quickly went around organizing them into actual armies, called Processions, and appointing generals to lead them in the form of the Knights of Shrouds. Olynder's first task as Mortarch was to eradicate the Chaos forces occupying the Underworld of Lyria, and although she was succesful, her near-death at the hands of a [[Bloodthirster]] caused Nagash to realize that she needed a lieutenant to prevent her from making another such mistake, resulting in him arranging her marriage to Kurdoss Valentian. Sadly there are no details about how the wedding went, so we just have to imagine a giant Nagash saying "YOU'RE MARRIED, NOW KISS".

Since then they've been rampaging across the realms, [[Shyish]] most of all. The Processions aided the (now defunct) Legion of Grief in besieging the City of Lethis and freeing Katakros, an ally of Nagash, from a Stormvault. Word on the streets is that Kurdoss referred to this outing as a "honeymoon" whilst Olynder spent most the trip there whining about how far away it was. After freeing Katakros, as a favor Lady O and her hubby decided to lend a helping hand in his endeavors to besiege the [[Eightpoints]], leading the initial assault.

This didn't go wholly to plan, however - whilst they initially broke the chaos forces and Olynder managed to infect [[Be'lakor]] with supernatural rectal cancer, chaos quickly overwhelmed them, leading to Kurdoss being temporarily shattered (much to his annoyance) and Olynder calling for a retreat. Since [[Teclis]] sealed Nagash in his city, the ghosts have been enjoying more... well, not freedom, but more autonomy in making decisions. The bone man himself isn't all too happy about Olynder's alliance with Be’lakor, however.

==The Processions==
Prior to the Necroquake, it was rare to see masses of Nighthaunt gathered together in large armies, partly due to their unreliable nature as ghosts. You'd see the odd Cain Wraith knocking about in a Necromancer's army, or a Tomb Banshee haunting the local manor, but that's about it. This changed following the crowning of Lady Olynder as Mortarch of Grief, as she ruthlessly gathered the spirits and formed them into armies known as Processions. The goals of each Procession are mostly centered around specific curses or leaders. Some Processions might be formed of a empires worth of spirits, called forth from the underworld, while others may be spirits long imprisoned by Nagash, freed and twisted by the Necroquake.

There are a few Processions notable enough to have unique rules and characters:

*'''The Emerald Host''': The forces of Lady Olynder herself. As such, they all bear the power to inflict the Emerald Curse upon their foes, slowly destroying their foes.
*'''The Grieving Legion''': Probably the largest of the processions, and for good reason. Most of the Nighthaunt special characters reside here, as it is a legion of ironic punishment. Its ranks are filled with depraved souls who tortured and murdered in their lives, now reduced to tortured wretches in death. Even then, they seek to fill their ranks by dragging others into an eternal agony of undeath, to suffer as they have.
*'''The Quicksilver Dead''': Once in the realm of Chamon, there was a technologically advanced society. They were one of countless casualties during the Age of Chaos, but they were resurrected as ghosts of living quicksilver. Not only do they seek vengeance for their lost home, but they also flaunt the power of their old civilization.
*'''The Scarlet Doom''': A legion of those who died violently or whose bodies were defiled after death. As such, they're properly right pissed off about it and seek to murder absolutely everyone who does that.

==A Tide of Spookums==
The Processions employ the various spirits dredged up from the bowels of Shyish, meaning that they can be pretty varied. However, the same group of archetypes tend to pop up more often than others; this is on account of Nagash leaving several curses in place that hang around and snap up those who fit the target of the curse.

*'''Knight of Shrouds''': In life, these guys were generals that sold out to Nagash and are cursed in the afterlife to lead his hosts. They are cursed to ''always'' have a small sliver of doubt that worms through their hearts, meaning they suffer from a perpetual Macbeth-type guilt.
*'''Guardian of Souls''': The wannabe Necromancers that thought they could outrun death are now (un)living nexuses of Death Magic. They summon more Nighthaunt into battle.
*'''Spirit Torment''': AKA the ones that got off easy. Sadistic Jailers in life now get to be even more sadistic jailers in the afterlife!
*'''Lord Executioner''': The ones who got the second best deal after Spirit Torments. Executioners who knowingly killed the innocent in life or enjoyed their work too much are now sent after heroes to execute them in unlife. They are constantly harassed by the spirits of the people they wrongfully executed, but those same spirits also can be used to preserve the Executioner's unlife.
*'''Dreadblade Harrow''': The lieutenants of the Knights that watched on as they betrayed and did nothing. Their half-measures in life make them especially incorporeal.
*'''Krulghast Cruciator''': Formerly mortals who were tortured to death, the Krulghast Cruciators now gain power by inflicting torment upon others. When harvesting the pain of their opponents they turn into beacons of death magic that make other Nighthaunt harder to banish.
*'''Cairn Wraith''': Mass murderers and serial killers that can't rest due to their hatred. Often Lone Wolves among the Processions.
*'''Tomb Banshee''': The betrayed and tormented women, who in unlife have become obsessed with revenge.
*'''Spirit Hosts''': Formless, identity-less packs of spirits that are all bound together, often found in mass graves or battlefields.
*'''Chainrasps''': The average criminal scum that died in chains, now forever grasping and begging for light in the afterlife.
*'''Grimghast Reapers''': When someone has too much [[Just as Planned]] they are blinded and forced to kill with no subtlety whatsoever.
*'''Hexwraiths''': The proud and cruel [[Bretonnia|Knights that decided to shit on the peasants]] too much are stuck forever riding their ethereal horses.
*'''Glaivewrath Stalkers''': The guys that enjoyed hunting too much are now melded with their mounts, their weapons always point towards their victims like compasses but they literally cannot feel any joy in the hunt anymore.
*'''Myrmourn Banshees''': People who sought knowledge of magic in life (specifically death magic) and didn't pay proper reverence to Nagash are forced to feed on nothing BUT magic, devouring spells and wizards.
*'''Chainghasts''': The Spirit Torment's assistants but without the better deal. They're formed from people who died in captivity and didn't pray to Nagash for help. For this "crime" they're put into iron harnesses, forced to carry heavy locks enchanted to fill them with hopelessness and forced to act as enforcers for Spirit Torments. Still better off than Bladegheists and Dreadscythes.
*'''Bladegheist Revenants''': Those who died screeching and thrashing are blinded and are forced to flail around with unmatched frenzy whilst holding swords forever. Really cruel, since the classification for these can include innocent people who drowned or were buried alive. The second most unfortunate Nighthaunts after the ones below.
*'''Dreadscythe Harridans''': The ones with the most cruel fate. Former healers that stopped souls from going to Nagash by saving people from fatal injuries are forced into committing wanton slaughter with scythes for hands, and a few even have two arms split into four. As a further "fuck you" from Nagash, their minds and memories are wholly intact, but they are unable to control their actions.
*'''Black Coach''': The particularly powerful [[Necromancer]]s and Vampires are coached around by a Cairn Wraith in these, so that they can absorb the Death Magic and regenerate.

==Why They're Scary==
Well, aside from the fact that they're called [[Konrad Curze|Nighthaunt]], they pose a very real and genuinely terrifying threat to the realms; Nighthaunt are literally the tortured ghosts of the dearly departed rising from the grave to drag you down to meet the same fate. You never know when they're coming, you can't fortify against them, and you can't even wound them most of the time because they're ghosts. At any given moment, your shitty little hamlet in the middle of nowhere could get swamped by a tide of them, and there would be very little you could do to stop them. And even if you should repel them, they can always come back - see the fates of Westreach and Eastdale in the Lady of Sorrows novel.

What hammers the fear factor home even further is the cruel - and frankly unfair - ironies they face. Did you heal people in life? You're gonna get scythes for hands and uncontrollably murder people, your incorporeal eyes used as cameras so you can watch helplessly. Die drowning or flailing around? Then you're gonna blindly flail around for all eternity, never knowing peace. Die in prison? Oops, looks like you're gonna be wrapped in chains and grope around for the light of day for the rest of your miserable existence! Hell, if your jailer was abusive, then THEY might become a Nighthaunt too and STILL have power over you!

Tl:dr, if they want to get you, they will. And when they do, the best outcome is death, and the worst is dying horribly and becoming one yourself.

==Notable Nighthaunts==

*'''[[Lady Olynder|Lady Olynder, Mortarch of Grief]]:''' In life, Olynder was a scheming gold digger who married high-ranking men then covertly had her husbands murdered, then she'd cry crocodile tears about their deaths while claiming their wealth. Upon her death, Nagash punished her for her crimes by making her feel all the grief in the Mortal Realms, so now she's a genuine sobbing wreck. However, that didn't stop Olynder for long; using her own sorrows as a irresistible bait for other Nighthaunt, she forged one of the first entirely Nighthaunt empires. With the arrival of more Nighthaunts after the Necroquake, Nagash needed someone to manage them, and thus promoted her to be his newest Mortarch.

*'''[[Kurdoss Valentian|Kurdoss Valentian, the Craven King]]:''' Another noble who schemed his way into power, killing many including his own brothers, but was struck down by Nagash just before his coronation as King (Not for his betrayals and murders, but because he praised and prayed to Sigmar). He is constantly followed by two spectral heralds who mock him for not being able to become a true king (basically Statler and Waldorf) and is also cursed to be unable to raise his voice above the level of a whisper. He was married to Lady Olynder by Nagash to become the second-in-command of the Nighthaunt, but further cursed to be forced to obey her every order so as to deny him any kind of rulership even in his new position of power. His hatred and bitterness over this situation is so strong, he can stifle his foes' commands in their mouths.

*'''[[Reikenor|Reikenor the Grimhailer]]:''' Once a mighty sorcerer from Hysh who attempted to become immortal. [[Warhammer Underworlds|And we all know what Nagash does to people who try to cheat death]]. Now Nagash tasks him with hunting down and killing those who would seek to steal souls from him and Necromancers who refuse to serve him.

*'''[[Awlrach|Awlrach the Drowner]]:''' A murderous oarsman who flies around in an awesome ghost ship.

*'''The Briar Queen:''' A former mage of Death. Notable for looking suspiciously similar to Olynder and being stuck in the Nightvault of Shadespire.

*'''Gharest Malcor''': A knight who was part of a rebellion against Lady Olynder after figuring out she'd murdered their previous king and the prince to get power. However Olynder seduced him into betraying the rebellion to her, by bribing him with money, riches and presumably [[/d/|feet pics]]. This was all for naught however, as she murdered him as well. As a Nighthaunt she enslaved him to be <s>her main simp</s> <s>pay piggy</s> <s>a beta orbiter</s> a Knight of Shrouds who leads her personal Procession, The Emerald Host.

*'''The [[Konrad Curze|Night Haunter]]:''' C'mon, it's in the name.

==Soulbound==
The [[Age of Sigmar Roleplay]] supplement ''Champions of Death'' would naturally introduce the Nighthaunt as a playable race, making full use of their ghastly nature. Of course, as these are the souls of the restless dead perpetually shackled to Nagash's will, they have little choice but to obey his bidding in those instances where the skelepope personally makes Bindings, making use of their spite to keep their so-called allies on edge.

Once in a blue moon however, there are those Nighthaunt who find themselves soulbound to the gods of Order rather than Nagash. Often, these were former heroes of legend who already had the potential to join the Order of the Soulbound but rejected the offer for some reason. In any case, the Nighthaunt must first overcome their all-consuming bitterness towards the living for the sake of finding some sort of freedom, some hope that the great necromancer would so gleefully dangle just out of their ethereal reach...and sometimes, the forces of Order may answer. Those who are so lucky seek either the final release of true death or to partake in mortal pleasures once more, knowing that this may be the last time they could do so.

Unlike other races, the Nighthaunt currently lack any form of subfaction, instead gaining 2 XP to use on talents.

Nighthaunts have access to the '''Cairn Wraith''', '''Guardian of Souls''', '''Knight of Shrouds''', '''Lord-Executioner''', '''Myrmourn Banshee''', or '''Spirit Torment''' archetypes.

==Spooky Melodies for Haunting==
As any good [[Ork]]/[[Imperial Guard]]/[[Stormcast Eternals|Stormcast]]/[[Soulblight Gravelords|fellow]] [[Ossiarch Bonereapers|death]] player knows, fitting music for your army is necessary for lowering enemy morale, so you'll need to have a couple of ghastly tunes ready to give your opponent (and the rest of your [[FLGS]]) a real fright!

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSaqSVi--Ms Grim Bitter Haunts - Make sure to play this when you bring both Lady Olynder, Valentian and Reikenor in a game!]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaFjmhIeezU Now I know it's N-N-N-N-NIGHTHAUNT!]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blUtOezg__g For the Vidya lovers among us.]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n65xmQApjFY For Metal lovers.]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRILh-7yuXg PainKiller tune that is both metal and eerie .]

==See Also==
*[[Ghost]]
*[[Nagash]]
*[[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Death/Nighthaunt|Tactics/Nighthaunt]]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File: Nighthaunt Art 1.jpeg|"OoooooOooOOOOOo... I really fucking hate my unlife... OOOOooooOoo"
File: Soul Wars.jpeg|Who you gonna call? SIG-MARINES!
</gallery>

{{Nighthaunt-Characters}}
{{Nighthaunt-Units}}
{{Template:Playable Factions in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar}}

Reikenor

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[[File:Reikenor.jpeg|thumb]]

One of the most trusted [[Nighthaunt]] lieutenants, Reikenor the Grimhailer was once a sorcerer-king in [[Hysh]]. Because Hyshians are known for trying to perform monumental tasks involving lots of hubris, he decided to try and unbend the very workings of death itself. [[RAGE|You can imagine how Nagash took this]]. In the afterlife, Reikenor hunts not for the secrets of mortality, but for those that were once like him; petty mages, those that unbind necromantic rituals, and especially Necromancers that don't serve [[Nagash]].

He swoops down from above on his winged Nightmare, Kyllaron, wielding a scythe and steals their souls Grim Reaper-style. These souls are then used for his own unique spell called the Wraithstorm, which involves a cyclone of these souls being let out to attack their former comrades. All across his armor and his steed's are candles that correspond to soul energy. By snuffing out a candle, he can harm someone else to give his spells a minor power boost, or draw off some of his own essence - harming himself slightly for a major power boost.

In Broken Realms: Reikenor got his own subfaction, which buffs up [[Chainrasp]]s and [[Glaivewraith Stalker]]s.

{{Nighthaunt-Characters}}

Spirit Torment

2023-06-08T11:07:53Z

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[[File:Spirit_Torment_miniature_02.jpg|thumb|"''Swinging the chain, swinging the chaaaain.''"]]
Deep beneath the surface of [[Shyish]], the Realm of Death, there exists a structure known as the Great Oubliette. It is a literal continent-sized underworld that serves as a jail for the souls that ESPECIALLY pissed [[Nagash]] off. Miles upon miles upon miles of cold, dank, slimy, padlocked cells - think Azkaban from Harry Potter x1000. And the guards to that prison are Warhammer's equivalent of the dementors - the '''Spirit Torments'''.

The Torments are Papa Bones' pet jailers, torturers, and enforcers of his petty-ass will. In life, they were especially pitiless jailers that, in contrast with the rest of the Nighthaunt, got a pretty sweet deal - they essentially just have to keep doing what they were doing in life, just on a much grander scale. It's almost like Nagash has a soft spot for overbearing sadists who are way too cruel to their prisoners, or something. Their main ability that makes them such lethal gaolers is their ability to suck out their enemies souls and trap them within the large locks they carry around, before dropping them within the Oubliette. Being the sadistic bastards they are, some Torments will even peek in at their quarry through the keyhole, jeering at them for their terrible fate. This makes them a terrifying sight, even amongst the other forces of Death; after all, it isn't unheard of for Nagash to send them to capture especially unruly undead.

They used to stick to the Oubliette, sticking to their whole joy-sucking shtick until the Soul Wars began. The presence of the [[Stormcast Eternals]] - the faction that Bone Daddy has a massive, throbbing hateboner for - necessitated them. After all, the Torments are the only ones capable of capturing the souls of the Stormcast, who usually go crying back to [[Azyr]] upon dying so that they can be reforged. Instead, they end up getting trapped in the Torment's lock and get taken to their own special section of the Oubliette where they're... experimented on. It's never stated what's done to them, but this was the fate that befell a good portion of the Sigmarite Brotherhood Stormhost in the Broken Realms Saga. Whatever it is, it is not good.

==Soulbound==

==On the Tabletop==

{{Nighthaunt-Units}}

Lady Olynder

2023-06-08T11:07:39Z

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[[File:Lady Olynder.jpeg|thumb|Ghost Boo-bies]]
{{topquote|Do not resist – death is inevitable. The more quickly you succumb, the sooner your suffering will be over. Come to me, and be mine for evermore…|Lady Olynder, still trying to charm people despite losing her good looks.}}
{{topquote|You think a woman like that's sniffing around because she likes your personality? Your mother was beautiful, they're all beautiful... until they're snarling after your trust fund like a pack of ravening wolves.|Norman Osborn - Spider-Man (the 2002 Sam Raimi film)}}

Lady Olynder is the [[Mortarch|Mortarch of Grief]], leader of the [[Nighthaunt]] Processions, and the first of Nagash’s new Mortarchs in AoS. Carrying all the despair in the realms due to her complete and utter apathy to the misery of others in life, she reeeeally hates the living.

If she had a voice, it would be Joan Cusack.

==History==
In life, she was one of the most [[Hot Chicks|beautiful women]] in the empire Dolorum. But Olynder was also a Gold Digger's Gold Digger, scheming, sleeping and slaying her way to the top. Such was Olynder's charm that she married the son of Dolorum's King before both promptly "disappeared", leaving Olynder in charge. Olynder wore a veil and cried a lot about their loss in public Victoria-style, yet the veil hid her smug grin over how smart she was. Some [[knights]] had figured out her evil scheme and planned to overthrow her, but she thwarted them by seducing one of their members, Gharest Malcor, into ratting out his fellow conspirators. Malcor himself would end up assassinated shortly thereafter for being too stupid to realize what happens to anybody Olynder marries or says she's going to marry. She ruled Dolorum as queen for a few years and among other things stopped honoring Nagash (this would really come back to haunt Olynder - pun intended), until the Age of Chaos came-a-knocking.

The forces of [[Nurgle]] quickly invaded Dolorum. Olynder cried more crocodile tears for the realm while she was all safe in her tower, partying away like the Masque of the Red Death. Olynder was so selfish that when the forces of Nurgle kicked down the doors to her throne room, she tried to parley with them to save her own life. This was the final straw for everyone's favorite [[Nagash|Skele-Pope]]; Nagash had been watching Olynder, and she'd been angering him for a while, so now he was really going to make her pay for it. Nagash seized her soul and doomed her to haunt the ruins of her kingdom for all eternity, feeling all the misery in the Mortal Realms as revenge for the fake tears she cried in life (<s>one of the few times where </s> ''Just another example of how'' the victims of Nagash's special brand of karma indisputably deserved it).

Naggy then proceeded to forget about her, until the Necroquake unleashed the Nighthaunt on the realms. He realized how spooky they were, but they needed direction to be truly efficient. He then hosted a Death equivalent of Celebrity Apprentice to decide on who would be the new [[Mortarch]]. Lo and behold, he stumbled upon the ruins of Dolorum, finding that Olynder had organized a huge Ghost-Kingdom while he wasn't looking. And so, she became the Mortarch of Grief, marshaling the ghosties into the processions we all know and love. Nagash also gifted her a personal army called the Emerald Host, consisting of the ghosts of all the knights who plotted against her in life, now forced to forever serve the woman they hated, and led by Gharest Malcor who'd been <s>friend-zoned</s> turned into a <s>simp</s> <s>beta orbiter</s> Knight of Shrouds.

Since then Olynder actually proved to be a good general. She defeated the forces of the [[Chaos]] Warlord Thur and destroyed the [[Stormcast Eternals|Stormcast]] defenders at the siege of Morlaix - even defeating their Lord-Celestant in single combat. Despite this, Olynder had a knack for going LEEEEEEEEEEEROOOOY. During a battle against her old foe Thur to liberate Underworld of Lyria, this over-extending nearly got Olynder killed by the [[Bloodthirster]] Khazkhan until Nagash and Arkhan bailed her out.

Nagash decided to give her an adviser and to that end she was married to [[Kurdoss Valentian]], which Nagash also used as a joke at both of their expenses (for her, it's because marrying for power, murdering her husbands, and then playing the victim was how she earned her punishment). Her biggest achievement happened during the siege of Lethis, where she managed to actually [[Awesome|kill the Celestant-Prime with her hourglass, who until then had proven to be a deus ex machina in every situation, and free an ancient evil]]. What's more, this ancient evil that was locked away is revealed to be Katakros, who would go on to be made leader of the [[Ossiarch Bonereapers]] (though from their track records, Olynder seems like a better general than Katakros). At some point, Lady Olynder also started to terrorize the Sons of Behemat, single-handedly killing a Mega-gargant and showing the foot-obsessed lummoxes that ghosts can't be stomped on but they can easily kill gargants. This lasted until a combined Mawtribe and Warclan showed them a way that ghosts can be destroyed through physical force.

===Wrath of the Everchosen===
Lady O worked with Katakros in the attack on the Eightpoints, leading the Legion of Grief as a vanguard through the Endgate and personally killing the [[Chaos Lord]] Namos Saskarid. She proceeded to lead the Legion of Grief across the Eightpoints, slaughtering Chaos followers and leaving their bodies and souls as raw materials for the Ossiarch Bonereapers. However, once [[Archaon]] came home, the Death armies were quickly routed, with both Olynder herself being slain by [[Be'lakor]] and her soul sent screaming back to [[Shyish]]. Little did the First Prince know though that by slaying Olynder, he had a curse placed upon him. A curse that would permakill him once the sands of Olynder’s hourglass were gone, and only the Mortarch could remove it.

===Broken Realms===
Olynder’s role/defeat in the Eightpoints assault meant she wasn’t available to assist Nagash when he got his boney face smashed by [[Teclis]] and locked away in his capital city Nagashizzar. The Mortarch of Grief took the loss of her master pretty well, content to continue ruling over her Nighthaunt legions like she did prior to Nagash finding her.

Be'lakor rather rudely barged into Olynder’s inner sanctum and tried to make her undo the curse by threatening to destroy her corpse, which would destroy her permanently. Olynder refused, so the two were forced to strike a bargain. Lady Olynder would claim the souls of slain Stormcast, in exchange she'd remove the curse. The two led armies to a city in Chamon to defeat them, the Stormcast Eternals' souls rendered unable to return to [[Azyr]] thanks to Be'lakor’s chaos storms. The Sigmarite Brotherhood Stormhost was wiped out, and their souls taken as payment by Lady Olynder, who removed her curse from Be'lakor and left him to his own machinations. Her involvement with the First Prince became a point of contention with her fellow Mortarchs, Neferata condemning her since her assistance had led to Be'lakor furthering his assaults in Shyish, while [[Katakros]] disregarded it as she struck a severe blow against Sigmar’s forces. Unfortunately for Olynder, Nagash shares the view of the former and holds Olynder's collaboration with Be'lakor against her.

==On The Tabletop==

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File: Olynder Art.jpeg
</gallery>

{{Nighthaunt-Characters}}

Kurdoss Valentian

2023-06-08T11:06:33Z

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[[File:Kurdoss.jpeg|thumb|The ultimate beta.]]
{{topquote|If you're not her priority, you're only an option.|common wisdom for men in dating}}

Behold - the spooky love child of Scar from the Lion King, the Scriptural first murderer Cain (the real-life namesake for this [[Khaine]]), and Bob Cratchet from a Christmas Carol! '''Kurdoss Valentian''' (also known as "The <strike> Cuckold </strike> Craven King") is a [[Nighthaunt]] character and Husband to [[Lady Olynder]]. He is known for being one of the most comically put-upon characters of the setting - it seems every new bit of information we get to do with him comes with a new way in which he's mocked, bullied, teased, or otherwise shafted. ''Why'' him, you ask? Well...

==History==
In life, he was a ruthless deceiver and master tactician that backstabbed his way to the throne of his home nation, even killing his own brothers to secure his rise to power. This would have been all well and good, but he made the fatal mistake any monarch that lived in/around the Age of Myth in [[Shyish]] could do; he did all this... AND chose [[Sigmar]] as his patron god. Needless to say, one thing [[Sigmar]] and [[Nagash]] would agree on is that Kurdoss was a scumbag who needed to go down (Sigmar over the former, Nagash over the latter).

So, to punish Kurdoss, Nagash struck the man dead at his own coronation ceremony - literally just before he was about to ascend to the throne. But even as little more than an angry wraith, he kept his nasty streak and was as deadly as ever. Ever the utilitarian, Nagash was impressed. But remember, this IS Nagash we're talking about, he doesn't recover from [[Butthurt]] that easily. And being snubbed in favor of Hammer-Boy caused a whole lot of that. So, he was condemned even further; he was forced to marry Lady Olynder.

One may initially think that being married to the Mortarch of Grief - essentially a Demi-goddess - would be a boon, if anything. This is until one remembers that Olynder is canonically the literal ''most whiny and miserable spirit in the realms''. She embodies pure misery. This marriage is so depressing that even [[Mannfred von Carstein|Mannfred]], ''the guy who blew up the Old World'', nearly found himself pitying Kurdoss. And on top of that, the marriage is yet another joke at his expense from Nagash; it puts him as close to rulership as possible without actually having it. [[Troll|Amazing]]. Naturally, he isn't too happy. He is literally so bitter about his fate, that he exudes an aura of spite so potent that it makes the words of ACTUAL generals and such choke in their mouths. [[Perturabo]] is suddenly feeling inadequate in terms of bitterness levels.

And he has even more of a reason to feel bitter as of late; when he and wifey went on a road trip to the Eightpoints to help their family friend [[Katakros]], he got temporarily destroyed and left to reform, presumably whilst Olynder worked with [[Be'lakor]]. Lately, he has been working within the Grieving Legion Procession, alongside [[Reikenor|Reikenor the Grimhailer]] and [[Awlrach|Awlrach the Drowner]], both of whom presumably gossip about him behind his back in the ecto-lunch hall. Oh, and there's also the whole "Craventhrone Guard" thing.

==A Million and One Pisstakes==
About those extra punishments; what Nagash did was condemn Kurdoss to never be allowed true rulership. To that effect - and to rub salt in the wound, because y'know, why not - Nagash cursed him;

* He is forced to obey Olynder, no matter what, meaning that she is most definitely the one who wears the ethereal pants in this relationship.
* He cannot raise his voice above a whisper, so no epic or inspiring speeches from Kurdy.
* Whenever he's sent on a mission away from Lady Olynder, he still isn't allowed to be the commander.
* He was given the highly demeaning official title of "Craven King".
* He was graciously given several gifts which are actually further mockery. These include a Scepter exclusively for BONKing, a [[Lumineth Realm Lords|comically oversized Crown]], and a big floating throne
* Bound to him are a pair of ghost "heralds", who are the spirits of his murdered brothers. Instead of serving as actual heralds, however, they just loudly mock him in a manner similar to Statler and Waldorf from the Muppets (Herald 1: "Hey, I wouldn't say we're like Statler and Waldorf." Herald 2: "Yeah, why's that?" Herald 1: "Those guys got to see actual kings sometimes!" Both: "[[dohohoho|DoHOHOHOHO!]]").
* He is accompanied at all times by the [[Craventhrone Guard]] - his own special bodyguard unit that steal EVERY SINGLE ONE of his kills by sniping them in the head just before they die.
* He's made to be a melee powerhouse precisely because he thought his greatest weapon was his mind and Nagash takes pleasure in reducing him to a brute with a mace.
* Every day at 5PM sharp, he receives a kick in the ghost-testicles from the nearest [[Tomb Banshee|Tomb]] or [[Myrmourn Banshee]]. If he's extra unlucky that day, it can come from Olynder herself.
* All the other Nighthaunt Heros are contractually obliged to point and laugh at him every time he enters a room.

==On The Tabletop==

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image: Kurdoss_screenshot.jpeg|Basically Kurdoss' entire (un)life.
</gallery>

{{Nighthaunt-Characters}}

Glaivewraith Stalker

2023-06-08T11:05:41Z

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[[File:Glaivewrath art 01.jpeg|thumb]]
'''Glaivewrath Stalkers''' are the assassins and hunters of the [[Nighthaunt]] - and are they good at it. They’re the only unit that took a page out of Freddy Krueger's book and got a creepy nursery rhyme about them; "''The Glaivewraith, it comes for you. It follows you about. There's no escape from what it will do. [[Nagash|Old Bones]] has found you out.''" Spooky.

In life, they were cruel mounted hunters who did it for the thrill of the kill. In death, [[Nagash]] decided to screw them over two-fold; they are now one with their mount, having disturbing horse-skull heads, and are now unable to feel any joy in their hunt. Don't think that this makes them any less dangerous though; as their nursery rhyme implies, once a Stalker sets its sight on you, it will literally not stop pursuing you until either it is destroyed or you're dead, at which point it will move onto the next target. Think you can hide? Think again! Once they see you, their glaive will magically track you by moving to always point towards you like a compass' needle points north.

Interestingly, when their models were first announced many immediately assumed that they were some type of ghost [[Skaven]] due to their vaguely Skaven-shaped skull. And whilst that may not be the case, it is an admittedly cool idea, yes-yes?

==On the Tabletop==
Unfortunately, their reputation as merciless killers doesn't translate well to the tabletop. At 60pts per a unit of 4 models, they generally do a far worse job at what almost every other unit can do, albeit at a cheaper price. Their uselessness is compounded by GW's obsession with them, putting them in almost every 2nd Edition starter box.

{{Nighthaunt-Units}}

Dreadscythe Harridan

2023-06-08T11:05:23Z

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{{Grimdark}}
[[File:99120207067 DreadscytheHarrridans01.jpg|thumb|{{BLAM|'''*SLICE*'''}}
"''SORRY ABOUT THAT!''" {{BLAM|'''*SLICE*'''}} "''SORRY ABOUT THAT TOO!''"]]
We all know the stereotypical [[Healer]], right? Altruistic, kind, always putting themselves above others? Generally kind souls to a fault. You'd surely expect for them to be treated as well in death as they treated others in life, right? Wrong. Oh, you are so, ''so'' wrong. To become a '''Dreadscythe Harridan''' is possibly one of the most tragic and cruel fates in [[Age of Sigmar]]. Why, you ask? See below.

==Why?==
In life, as mentioned they were healers, druids, and doctors that dedicated themselves to saving lives. Sounds good right? No bueno - at least, in the mind of [[Nagash|bone daddy]]. You see, to him this is a massive slight, because in his fucked up roundabout logic, they are preventing souls from coming to him at their appointed time, and thus are transgressing. To us this is obviously utterly insane, but such fleeting opinions are trite to him.

So upon death, to punish them for their "crimes", they are stripped of all control of themselves (a standard issue amongst [[Nighthaunt]]) and fuelled with an unquenchable bloodlust, with their hands being replaced with cruel, wicked scythes. They're also rendered unable to speak, they can only scream. This would usually be enough for the Nighthaunt, but there's one more terrible detail - they are afflicted with the "Harridan Curse" which means that ''they are fully aware and conscious of what they are doing, but unable to stop it''. [[Grimdark|Yeah]].

Now keep in mind, this doesn't happen to EVERY healer in the realms. In fact, it only really happens when Nagash personally gets his hands on their souls. But it can happen to ANY healer, and Nagash has many servants bringing him souls from all over the place, meaning that every person who decides to take up the job of a healer runs the risk of condemning themselves to an eternity of being trapped as a merciless blade-handed killing machine. Yikes.

==On the Tabletop==

{{Nighthaunt-Units}}

Dreadblade Harrow

2023-06-08T11:04:59Z

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[[File:DreadbladeHarrows.jpeg|thumb|This is what happens when you refuse to be proactive, kids.]]
{{topquote|In seeking to make no enemies, I've succeeded in making no friends,|The title character from "The Bat, Birds, and The Beasts", Aesop's Fables}}

The '''Dreadblade Harrows''' (what do these names even mean anymore?) are the Lieutenants of the [[Nighthaunt]] processions. They’re what happens to you when you decide to sit on the fence about one too many a thing. That’s right, you can now run the risk of being condemned to an eternity of suffering for... remaining neutral on things. Cheers [[Nagash]].

However, there’s no need to panic. You won’t be made into a Harrow for something incredibly small like not preferring Coke or Pepsi, or larger like not being able to be have a full-time job. No, those who become Harrows are only so because they saw the signs of a betrayal from their leader (often from a future [[Knight of Shrouds]]) and decided not to do anything about it to be on the winning side. Because of their selfish fence-sitting, their forms are some of the most ethereal of all the Nighthaunt, their very beings flickering in and out of reality. In battle, they act as outriders and scouts, disappearing and reappearing at will to perform tasks that no [[Flesh-Eater Courts|honourable knight]] would ever do (ie, culling the weak, attacking retreaters, kicking puppy dogs in the shin, etc).

==On The Tabletop==

{{Nighthaunt-Units}}

Bladegheist Revenant

2023-06-08T11:04:34Z

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[[File:BladegheistRevenantModel.jpeg|thumb]]

Behold; when you all thought [[Nagash]] could not be any more of an asshole, when you all thought he had reached peak dickery when he fucked up the balance of magic in the realms, he went and surpassed himself, pulling these poor suckers out of some grimy, skeletal hole somewhere in [[Shyish]]. The Bladegheist Revenants are the [[Nighthaunt]]’s answer to sword-wielding infantry, whirling around the battlefield like they just snorted a pile of warp dust. This isn’t without reason; in fact, the flailing is exactly why they are so fucked up.

They are the souls of people who, when they died, were in an exceptional amount of stress. This encompasses very pleasant scenarios such as being stabbed with spikes, drowning, burning, etc. And because they tried to avoid death, Nagash, in all his wisdom, decreed this a crime worthy of eternal punishment. So when they finally do pop their clogs, that awful moment of panic? That’s your new eternity. The Bladegheists are given their swords, [[Grimdark|are uniformly blinded and essentially left to spin and flail with pain across the battlefield for eternity, cutting down others in a maddened frenzy. They're also cursed to sense the presence of nearby Chainrasps or Spirit Torments... which makes them flail around even harder as the Bladegheists mistake those fellow Nighthaunt for their captors]].

Needless to say, them and the Dreadscythes were GW’s way of saying that AoS isn’t entirely Noblebright anymore.

{{Nighthaunt-Units}}

Lumineth Realm-Lords

2023-06-08T11:04:03Z

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{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Lumineth Realm-Lords|Logo=Eltharion's essence.jpg|Alliance=Order|Motto=FOR <s>ULTHUAN</s> HYSH!!!!!}}
{{Topquote|The phoenix must burn to emerge.|Janet Fitch}}
{{Topquote|And God said 'Let there be light', and there was light. And God saw the light, and it was good. And God divided the light from the darkness.|Genesis 1:3-4}}
{{Topquote|We must be swift as the coursing river. With all the force of a great typhoon. With all the strength of a raging fire. Mysterious as the dark side of the moon!|Be <s>a Man</s> an Aelf}}
{{Topquote|MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!|Avalenor, the Stoneheart King}}
The Lumineth Realm-lords (also known as '''[[High Elves (Warhammer Fantasy)|High Elves]] 2.0''', '''Lu-methheads''', '''Meth-lords''', '''Loo-methheads''' and '''Loony Meth-Heads'''. Officially "Realm-lords", without the second capital.) are a bunch of stone and crystal obsessed elves residing in the Realm of [[Hysh]] and led by Teclis. Forced onto the defensive by Chaos, they harness the magic of their realm and refuse to go down without a fight... just like the High Elves of old, but without the "dying race" element (and the accompanying lore inconsistencies) and a surprising amount of Dorfiness, given their love of hammers, runic magic and elementals.

With a heavy Greek aesthetic, new model and the return of [[Eltharion]], good times are abound if you were a fan of the High Elves back in the world that was.

==History==
===Origins/Age of Myth===
Once upon a time, [[Teclis]], [[Tyrion]], and [[Malekith|Malerion]] found a previously assumed dead [[Morathi]] who was very much alive, who then led the odd trio to the morbidly obese [[Slaanesh]] in a cave where they beat the shit out of him until he coughed up all of the Elven souls he had consumed after [[The End Times]]. A good chunk of these souls were given to Teclis, in order to recreate the High Elves of old and bring their race back to their former glory. The initial race that came from Teclis's attempts were the [[Idoneth Deepkin]] and, well... [[FAIL|He tried]].

This new batch of Aelves seem to have come out of the oven much better, far more sane and stable than any other Aelf so far. Given the Idoneth's hostile estrangement from Teclis while the Lumineth worship and fight side-by-side with him, relations between the two are... strange. The Idoneth Deepkin are their only ally option, while in the Allegiance Matrix for multiplayer games in the General's Handbook they are listed as a Desperate Coalition (to put that in perspective, that's worse than the relationship between Khorne/Slaanesh or Tzeentch/Nurgle and is the only Desperate Coalition that isn't between factions from two entirely separate Grand Alliances. Even Drycha the crazy, genocidal racist can act nicer to other factions). Best explanation is that they do utterly despise each other, but realize there are WAY bigger threats to their own societies, so they grudgingly tolerate each other for now.

Anyways after their initial inception they went on to colonize all parts of the realm of Hysh. After learning how to utilize the native realmstone Aetherquartz to help Lumineth society grow into one of if not the most advanced and grand civilization in all the realms, with art, architecture and learning being the envy of many other civilizations. Lumineth society was built on self-improvement, absurdly impractical headgear and the accumulation of wisdom, fueled by the power of collected Aetherquartz crystals to amplify their bodies and minds. They however, in the typical elven arrogance, assumed that because Slaanesh was imprisoned they no longer had to worry about Chaos and decided to abuse the Aetherquartz like [[Skaven]] to [[Warpstone]], leading them to be the butt of many jokes about drugs (especially Crystal Meth).

===Age of Chaos===
Unfortunately for the Lumineth, in conjunction with the elves' own hubris, Tyrion and Teclis were very hands-off about godhood after the civilization was built. As a result, the subtle whispers of the Dark Gods entered their minds, causing envy and bitter rivalry. The subsequent campaigns of defamation and sabotage culminated in a massive civil war called the Ocari Dara, or Spirefall. The entire realm of Hysh was devastated, as the Lumineth had a habit of inventing uber-spells and doomsday devices just to see if they could, justifying it by claiming they were too enlightened to ever use such weapons for evil (which they obviously weren't). To make matters worse, the overflow of passion, pride and obsession from the war became a beacon for Slaaneshi daemons, who then invaded Hysh and would've wiped them out if Tyrion hadn't personally intervened to save the last survivors.

Teclis searched for some way to save his race from themselves, and found it when he managed to commune with Celennar, the spirit of Hysh's moon. He taught the Lumineth a new way of self-discipline, where they would bond with the elemental spirits to gain their power and wisdom. This rearrangement of Lumineth society was called the Reinvention Wars, which lasted the remaining years of the Age of Chaos and is widely credited with preventing them from becoming extinct altogether.

===Age of Sigmar===
The Lumineth were mostly unseen during the Age of Sigmar, being too focused on rebuilding their own realm in order to care about the other races.

During the Time of Tribulations, Teclis predicted the upcoming Necroquake, and ordered the construction of Aetherquartz towers in order to mitigate its effects. While this helped protect the Lumineth cities from undead invasion, Teclis failed to predict the arrival of Endless Spells, which would become a common plague upon the already magically battered landscape of Hysh.

During a meeting between Teclis and the other Aelven gods, Morathi started claiming that Slaanesh will inevitably escape. While the other Aelven gods dismissed this as the rantings of a madwoman, Teclis took this seriously and decided that the Lumineth must end their isolationism in order to purge Chaos from other realms. This hasn't endeared them well with the other races of Order, as they tend to deploy their legions without permission or warning out of the arrogant assumption that the lesser races can't be trusted to solve their own problems (arrogant ''and'' hypocritical coming from the Lumineth, who [[Eldar|nearly caused their own extinction through selfish obsessions]]). Adding to the fact that they have no problem with killing civilians and allies if they view it as necessary to cleanse Chaos, it’s understandable why some people don’t like it when they arrive unannounced. While the Stormcast have also used this approach, unlike them the Lumineth haven't earned a good reputation beforehand, and are a bunch of Johnny-Come-Latelys compared to the Stormcast's Big Damn Heroes.

At some point, Teclis had found the remnants of [[Eltharion]]'s spirit as he was way too badass to be claimed by Nagash. After putting his soul back together, Teclis ordered armor and weapons made in the Yvressian style, found a dude who looked near identical to Eltharion, created a soulless clone of that guy's body and tried to shove our old boy's soul right in. Sadly, [[Arkhan the Black|Arkhan]] evidently cursed Eltharion so bad that any body his soul is put in crumples to dust, starting with the aforementioned souless clone. As Teclis cried like a bitch, he noticed that Eltharion's soul was able to inhabit the armor, turning him into [[Thousand Sons|a hollow suit of armor powered by light]]. Since then, Eltharion became one of the leaders of the Lumineth, as Teclis tries to figure out how to give him a normal body.

===Broken Realms===

As Morathi attempted to gain godhood and accidentally loosened the chains of Slaanesh, Teclis started pushing his army against the forces of the undead and [[Nagash]] as he realized with shit offically starting to hit the fan across the realms the death gods self-centered power-play had offically gone on long enough. He planned on bringing an end to The Soul Wars and clapping Nagash's boney cheeks for unleashing the Necroquake. Of course, bone daddy won't take this laying down...only to take it standing pretty much. Teclis invaded straight into the heart of Shyish and assualted an Ossiarch city. While they put up a pretty good fight even against Teclis the Bonereapers were routed with news spreading across the realms that the forces of the Death God were not invincible. Fermenting rebellion against Nagash in genral. Nagash seeing that his time in the limelight (in-universe and metawise) was coming to an end he went with the bold scheme of trying to suck multiple realms into the Shyish Nadir by having his Mortarchs collape realmgate routes into it and infusing those realms in pure death magic.

Needless to say this did not go well. Manfred and Neferata both failed in their attempts thanks to the intervention of several factions aided by the Lumineth. Though neither was particularly bothered as even they thought Nagash had finally overreached and essentially abandoned him when both their armies were routed (with Manfred basically planning for that to happen). Only Arkhan was left to try his luck in Hysh. Unforatuantely for him his forces ran smack into Eltharion who was set on event he scores with the liche. After confronting eachother near the realms edge Arkhan ultiamtely loss the battle with his Ossiarch Legions crushed near the realms edge and Eltharion literally hurling him into the void at the edge of the realms. Finally getting some justice to his undignified end in the End Times.

Nagash out of servants and patients finally decided to get off his ass and assulat Hysh himself. He intended to strike a mitghty blow to the Lumineth by destrying the mountain spirit Avalenor and corrupting the entire continent in Death Magic. Teclis and Celennar engaging Nagash on the peaks of the mountain itself. While both mighty Nagash was at his prime at this point, still empowered by the magics of the Necroquake. Celennar managed to land some critical blows on Nagash before the Death God managed to destroy his avatar body. Forcing Celennars spirit to retreat back to his moon. Teclis however kept up the magical barrage as the two strongest mages in the realms did a Mage fight for the ages. With Teclis managing to annilate Nagashs 9 books in the struggle. However as Nagash seemed to be getting the upper hand on the Mage god as Nagashs greater pure combat experience was proving decisive, Teclis sprung his trap. While Nagash was destracted the armies of the nearby city of Settlers Gain had managed to move several Luminarks of Hysh into posittion and trained directly on Nagash. At that moement as well the moon of Celenar appeared above the skies and he infused as much of his radiance into the Luminarks just as the mages opened fire on him. Even to a being such as Nagash the contentrated beams seered into him that brought even a god to heel. As Nagash stood staggering Teclis summoned his powers and bound the weakened Nagash to the peaks of Avalenor with pure Light magic. Now bound and helpless, his powers utter gone from the attack and Teclis's bindings, a horde of Alarith Spirit of the Mountain's entered the frey from every angle and utterly tore into Nagash without mercy. Their hammers smashing Nagashs physical body to literally dust and sending his beaten spirit back to Shyish.

While completely exhausted Teclis conjured a great rune of banishment in the stars of Hysh themselves that sent a great enchantment acoss all the cosmos of the mortal realms. The wild death magics that had caused untold damage since the soul wars began finally subsided. The Necroquake has been undone! Without their leader or the death magics of the Necroquake the hordes of undead found themselves greatly diminished or just stopped completely. Nagash himself was left battered and near-powerless from the wounds the Lumineth did to him and found his shattered spirit bound to his capital of death by Teclis's magic, weakening him further. With their master beaten and broken and their leaders scattered the undead hordes rampage had been blunted and stopped. The Soul Wars was over.

The price? Teclis was cursed by some sort of Death magic that he found was only lessened while in the presence of strong life magic like that of Allarielle. In addition the lumineths armies were left pretty battered basically ending the Soul Wars single handedly. Regardless Teclis gamble ultimately paid off as Nagash was dealt with just in time before a new threat was about to emerge.................

===Era of the Beast===

The Lumineth have started to mobilize in Hysh to combat forces of Destruction rising up there. Several of them also want to study the Khrondspire Incarnates and then calm the elemental magic that's summoning them. But not all is going the Lumineth's way. GW decided they went too far jobbing the entire Death faction for the Lumineth in Broken Realms, so Teclis' magic abilities have weakened due to the damage he took fighting Nagash, and the Lumineth Armies have been greatly depleted given they bore the brunt of the fighting against Nagash's forces.

==Society==

The Lumineth themselves are split between numerous different kingdoms within Hysh, known as the Ten Paradises. These Kingdoms each reside on a separate Island, which used to be one landmass before it was sundered in the Age of Chaos. The center Island is Xintil, where Teclis awoke in the Age of Myth and where most of the Sigmar worshiping mortals of Hysh live. Xintil is surrounded by eight islands, each ruled by a separate kingdom. Syar, Iliatha, Ymetrica and Zaitrec are known as the Teclian nations, essentially the Athens compared to the more Spartan Oultrai, Aurathrai, Helon and Alumnia who emulate Tyrion. Each has their own culture, such as Iliatha being matriarchal and doing some cloning shit.

These Lumineth have also come to treasure Aetherquartz, a crystal mineral native to their realm. These crystals gave their wearers great knowledge and power, but it also involves [[Eldar|sucking out their emotions and personalities - a sacrifice they consider worthwhile since unfettered emotions are the Dark Prince's favorite snack]]. In this way, they're similar to [[Stormcast Eternals|Sigmar's golden bois]] in that they're constantly approaching that point where they become effectively logic-driven, uncreative and unfeeling automatons except these guys see it as an acceptable ending compared to the Stormcast's mad search to end the flaw. The emotions drained into the Aetherquartz are used as a source of power by the mages known as Scinari <s>Crack Whores</s> Cathallars, weaponizing their suppressed negative emotions to spread terror and despair among their enemies.

After the Reinvention Wars, an important part of their society has become the Aelementari Temples, cults dedicated to bonding with the landscape of Hysh, in the form of the rivers, winds, mountains or even the light of Hysh's sky (Zenith). To join these cults is extremely difficult; first one must abandon all worldly possessions, then spend years meditating and seeking oneness with the spirit of their chosen location. The final trial is fatal if the spirit deems the aspirant unworthy: those dedicated to the rivers must weigh themselves down and jump into the water, while those dedicated to the mountains must let themselves get buried alive. Yet if they survive, they gain new powers ([[Avatar: The Last Airbender|please tell me there is some legendary Aelf who has the powers of all the Aelementari.]]) While the mages get elemental magic, the warriors get more subtle powers, like the Stoneguard who can enter the "mountain stance" to become immovable bulwarks in battle. The Aelementari can also be petitioned to possess a construct body and directly fight with their disciples.

The only Aelementari temple initially playable on tabletop were the mountain worshippers of the Alarith, who have taken a mountain yak called the "Ymetrican Longhorn" as their symbol, resulting in them being the butt of many cow jokes. The second temple to be officially revealed is the Wind Temple, known as the Hurakan; get it, Hurakan = Hurricane, GET IT!). They too were met with a barrage of memery due to their troops riding on creatures known as the Treerunners which very closely resembled Kangaroos. Aelementari Temples were intended to teach the Lumineth humility, and it half-worked; although their civilization no longer has the unchecked hubris that led to the Spirefall, many Lumineth have become humblebraggers under the impression that after the Reinvention they have successfully overcome all their flaws and created a perfect society. It seems that the arrogance of the (A)elves is the one flaw they can never overcome.

In terms of combat strategies and tactics, their design and combat is heavily reminiscent of Ancient Greek warfare combined with a bit of Roman. The traditional Spearmen, called the Vanari Auralan Wardens, are essentially hoplites, who form phalanxes to hold the enemy in place while the archers, mages and cavalry get set up to do their stuff. Each of these phalanxes are lead by a High Warden, essentially a Lochagos, who stands at the rear to make sure shit isn't going wrong. Most of these hoplites also adorn their shields with runes. These runes represent learning and enlightenment for the Realm Lords, but seem to be more for decoration than serving an actual battlefield purpose. These Wardens are also capable of forming into phalanxes called Shining Legions, difficult to harm but also slow. These legions are also present among their brethren who wield swords and bows. The Battletome also mentions unseen chariot and scout units, so they’re probably going to show up in a future release. Other major leaders include the Loreseekers, a mix of mage and warrior who are tasked with [[Blood Ravens|recovering ancient artefacts from the other races, allies or not, and bringing them back home where they belong]]

==Great Nations==

*'''Ymetrica:''' A mountainous kingdom with a great dedication to the Alarith Temple. Were the first Lumineth kingdom to succesfully discover how to bond with the Aelementari, which they won't hesistate to remind you at any moment. Form the vanguard of Teclis' campaign to purify the Mortal Realms. Recently endured a massive [[Ossiarch Bonereapers|boning]] from Arkhan's army. Essentially Caledor, but replace Dragons with bovine-headed earth elementals.
*'''Syar:''' The greatest craftsmen of the Lumineth, and the richest nation too. Created a lot of horrible weapons for the Ocari Dara, and swore to never create weapons again...until Teclis persuaded them that Chaos would win without their help. Just when they thought they were out, Chaos pulled them back in. Most likely suppose to resemble Eataine due to the focus on wealth, though instead of trade they got it through weapon dealing and trade so it's Eataine + the Anvil of Vaul.
*'''Zaitrec:''' The land of master wizards, and thus the place where Teclis likes to hang out most. They worship Celennar even more than Teclis though, and if they ever get to meet Teclis they're more interested in what the spirit has to say, claiming "it is better to learn from the source". Teclis is secretly [[butthurt]] over this having learned from an older source himself in the World-That-Was, much to Tyrion's amusement. For if you miss Saphery, with Celennar filling in for Lileath.
*'''Iliatha:''' This <s>simp</s> matriarchal kingdom revered women due to their belief that creating life was holy. However, they decided that the traditional method of childbirth was too gross for them, and invented a method to create clones by splitting souls. This lead to horrible excesses during the Ocari Dara, which were so dark that the other nations refuse to speak about it. Afterwards the technology was strictly regulated so that only one copy could be created per person, resulting in Iliatha having the largest population of the nations, the majority of whom are soul-bound twins. Avelorn, only with magic cloning.
*'''Alumnia:''' A land of explorers and pioneers who wish to explore the most dangerous parts of the Mortal Realms just to say that they can. They believe that they must spread to the rest of the Realms and spread the light on enlightenment to the darkest parts of the Mortal Realms. This usually means a LOT of them end up as snacks for hungry monsters and those who don't are disliked as colonial Imperialists, but that doesn't stop them. Many seek to replicate Tyrion's adventure across Haixiah, which is often considered a one way trip but those who make it back are revered highly. Acts as outriders and scouts for the Lumineth armies. Tiranoc pre Sundering.
*'''Helon:''' A widely open country that has winds so strong they can straight up send you flying. Now while normal people would view this as dangerous or horrifying, The Aelves here do it for fun! These guys have gotten so good at controlling winds that they can outright carve shit with wind and erosion. To no one's surprise, this place has the largest amount of Hurakan Temples of all of the nations. Their favorite battle strategies involve using the winds to help their archers fire off more shots and get out of danger when needed. Ellyrion, but SUPER WINDY and the horse fandom is optional.

==Named Characters==
*'''[[Teclis]]:''' The <s>a</s>elf, the myth, the literal legend, everyone's favourite (former!) anaemic cripple is back as one of the two gods of light (the other being his brother Tyrion). He now rides along a giant sphinx that's the literal spirit of Hysh's moon.
*'''[[Eltharion|The Light of Eltharion]]:''' The soul of Eltharion himself, now in a sick looking [[Thousand Sons|hollow suit of armour.]]
*'''Avalenor:''' The Aelementiri spirit of the largest mountain in Hysh, Avalenor is a mystery as instead of being bound into a war-form by a temple he just kinda showed up by himself one day.
*'''Sevireth:''' The "Lord of the Seventh Wind", the manifestation of one of the seven great gales that blow throughout all of Hysh. He used to hang out in a desert until he got baited into a Slaaneshi BDSM chamber and got roughed up. After he broke out, he became more of a merciless warrior, striking down the enemies of Hysh and all manner of tyranny.
*'''Lyrior Uthralle:''' Warden of Ymetrica, and quite martially-inclined for someone from a realm on the Teclican half of Hysh. He also acts as Tyrion's right-hand man. He seems primed to inherit Tyrion's mantle of being the Big Damn Hero for Aelfkind apart from one issue. Lyrior privately has [[Eltharion|major angst issues because Orruks killed his family and destroyed his hometown while he was away]] and struggles with the temptation to abandon his duties and purge the "impure" from Hysh.
*'''Ellania & Ellathor:''' A pair of twins, one a powerful sorceress, the other a skilled warrior, who fight on the battlefield as a single unit like the Sisters of Twilight. Seeing the similarities to themselves, Tyrion and Teclis have taken them on as proteges. One big difference between them and the original twins is that they both seem to agree that helping out the Non-Lumineth is a benefit in the fight against Chaos, where as Tyrion and Teclis always argued over it. Tyrion probably learned his lesson on that count with the End Times and conceded it to Teclis.

==Soulbound==
Released with the ''Champions of Order'' supplement in 2021.

As it turns out, the whole Soulbinding thing is a rather familiar matter to them. After all, the aelementeiri (those aelves who serve in the temples of elemental spirits, so the Alarith and Hurakan characters thus far) already bind their souls to become part of a greater whole and it was in this way that the people of Hysh clawed their ways out of the messes of the Age of Chaos. That said, there are those Lumineth that hesitate to do so because it would require them to sever their ties to Hysh and instead spread their elitist philosophies and knowledge to the lesser-fortunate peoples of the mortal realms. Doing so actually teaches them far more about the other realms than they would otherwise have learnt within their education-prisms, as well as teaching them about all the Saturday-morning ideals of cooperation and teamwork.

The following great nations are available for Lumineth heroes to hail from:
*'''Iliatha:''' Knowing how valuable knowledge is, many of their number seek to sire children to inherit what they have learned and surpass them. This urge is so strong that some even undertake an unsettling ritual that sees them split their soul among two bodies. Aelves in such a situation do not enter the same Soulbound. Indeed, knowing the price of the Soul-binding gives them a further drive to to do more for their comrades than they would ever have done raising a child. Heroes from Iliatha have a separate twin, one who will take their place should they die. This twin may start with the same starting stats, skills, and talents as their original, but may otherwise spend the rest of their XP as you wish.
*'''Syar:''' More than any other nation, Syar is a nation that takes their humility to heart. As a nation of artisans, they have a perfectionist's eye of their craft. Even as Soulbound, Lumineth from this nation see only ways that the world around them can be improved and how other viewpoints can improve them. Heroes from Syar add a special trait to a single weapon or set of armor they begin with. Whenever they undertake an endeavor to make something, they double any dice they get from their training in Crafting.
*'''Ymetrica:''' Residing the great peaks of Hysh, Ymetrica is considered the birthplace of the Alarith and legend has it that it was here that Teclis taught the aelfs in the art of binding their souls to the mountains. They take on the slow and contemplative sureness of the mountains, never acting in haste. Even the matters of the Soulbound are only undertaking after considerable contemplation, for they are hesitant to adapt to the hot-blooded and impulsive natures of their colleagues. Heroes from Ymetrica always act last in the first round of combat but can always act first in any round afterward unless someone else seizes the initiative. Additionally, the Thoughtful talent is available to all archetypes.
*'''Zaitrec:''' Lumineth from this realm house an irrepressible curiosity and seek questions from any source, including from the moons of Hysh. It is because of this that they tend to heed the spirit of Celennar, the lunasphinx representative of the greatest of Hysh's moons, more frequently than those of Teclis. It is because of this curiosity that they often join the Soulbound as they see all sorts of knowledge as equal. Heroes from Zaitrec add the Spellcasting talent to all archetypes, even allowing them to learn spells from lores that are otherwise inaccessible to them. When undertaking the Learn Spell endeavor, they can learn an additional common spell on top of everything else.

The archetypes available are '''Alarith Stoneguard''', '''Alarith Stonemage''', '''Scinari Cathallar''', and '''Vanari Warrior'''. The ''Era of the Beast'' splatbook also introduces the '''Hurakan Windcharger''' and '''Scinari Loreseeker''' Archetypes.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Aelve Spearmen.jpg|AELVES, WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSION!?
File:Aelve Cav.jpg|Gee, I wonder what ancient civilization these guys where based on.
File:Elf_elite_guard.jpg|Heavy armor, hammers and a stone motif... [[Dwarfs (WFB)|where have I seen this before?]]
File:Eltharion AOS.jpg|I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS, ARKHAN!
File:Befriending furries.jpg|'''Asserting dominance'''
File:Realm Lord Runes.jpg|No one tell the Dwarfs that the Elgi figured out how runes work....
File:Sitting Bull.jpg|An Alarith Stonemage. I wonder how Dwarfs would react to an elf controlling stone with magic.
File:Alarith.png|Alarith, Spirit of the Mountain. And you thought [[Settra the Imperishable|Settra]] had a lot of titles/aliases.
File:Scinari.jpg|A Scinari Cathallar. That's pronounced SIN-ar-ee CATH-ull-arr, according Geedubs themselves.
File:Sad Lady.jpg|She feels your pain.
File:Lumineth vs Khorne.jpg|A fun game of Whack-a-reaver
File:Minotaur mountain.jpg|Avalenor in all his red, stony glory.
File:Elf with heavy burden.jpg|[[Snowflame|Weaponized magic Crystal Meth]] (Doomrider approves).
File:Lumineth Box.jpg|Available now (quartz not accepted as an alternative to money)
</gallery>

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category:Games Workshop]]

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

Idoneth Deepkin

2023-06-08T11:02:08Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Idoneth Deepkin|Logo=Fucking_Idoneth.jpeg|Alliance=Order|Motto=Soul-Hunting Pirates riding Sea Monsters.}}

{{topquote|Marge. Kids. Everything's gonna be just fine. Now go upstairs and pack your bags. We're gonna start a new life... under the sea.|Homer Simpson - "Homer Badman".}}
{{topquote|We have been hiding long enough. The time has come for Atlantis to rise again.|Prince Orm of [[/co/|Aquaman]] fame}}
{{topquote|To build a city at the bottom of the sea: insanity. But where else could we be free from the clutching hand of the parasites? Where else could we build an economy that they would not try to control, a society they would not try to destroy? It was not impossible to build Rapture at the bottom of the sea. It was impossible to build it anywhere else.|Andrew Ryan - [[/v/|Bioshock 2]]}}

The '''Idoneth Deepkin''' are a faction introduced in [[Warhammer: Age of Sigmar]], composed of soulless marine aelves and assorted sea fauna.

==History==
===Age of Myth===
After [[Teclis]], [[Tyrion]], [[Malekith|Malerion]], and [[Morathi]] made [[Slaanesh]] start shitting out elf souls, Teclis took the devout of [[Mathlann]] (the deceased elf god of the ocean) and made a new home for them in Hysh called Leiriu, a luminescent city also known as the Bright Haven or City of Reflection. There, Teclis taught these newborn aelves, the "Cythai", about the old world and their gods hoping to re-create the High Elves.

However, they weren't exactly model elves: they were withdrawn, resentful and traumatized by their time being Vored by Slaanesh. Upon learning this, Teclis wasn't thrilled with them and tried to find what went wrong. The Cythai weren't cooperative, and gained somewhat of a reason when Teclis' methods made some fall into madness. Afraid for their lives and not willing to <s>go to therapy</s> trust Teclis, they fled into the oceans of the Mortal Realms. Along the way they stole the Ocarian Lantern, an artifact of Teclis that he'd used to draw souls from Slannesh that the Idoneth believed could be used to track them down. Teclis, being a [[Eldrad|dick]] and probably sore about the theft of the lantern, did plan to exterminate them, but his brother Tyrion convinced him to be merciful so he let them go.

The wayward elves used their magic to live in the most secluded place they could think of; under the sea. The magic they learned from Teclis was adapted so they could live underwater, even at the most crushing of depths. They grew attuned to their new surroundings, learning to trust vibrations and changes in pressure more than sight or sound. Some of them even became adept in the art of seeing the flaring soul-stuff that animates the living. Over time, each of the Cythai's enclaves developed differently, but all were affected by their new environs and self-imposed isolation. Since the elves super-PTSD still haunts them, they welcome the way in which the depths numb their senses. If everything is cold and you can't see without the aid of magic and glimmerfish, that's less sensations and emotions, which means less power to their most ancient nemesis.

The elves, now calling themselves ‘Idoneth’, didn't learn that Tyrion had made Teclis cool down and stayed in hiding. Having rejected Teclis they called out to Mathlann, but he was dead so they reached out to other gods, who either didn't hear them, were also dead or didn't care. Eventually they gave up and tried to re-create Mathlann and society as best they could.

After making their new societies, they calmed down and took stock of their situation. Accepting the possibility that their time in Slaanesh had contaminated them, the Idoneth did some research to see if there were any side-effects and found two. The first they called ''mallachi'', when an Idoneth went into a state of raging madness that ended in savage debauchery, but this only happened to a few. The second was far worse, as when they started having babies [[Grimdark|only one in a hundred Idoneth babies survived past infancy]]. The Idoneth soon figured out this was caused by most of their progeny being born with souls that swiftly withered.

Desperate and without divine aid, they turned to magic to fix the problem... [[Grimdark|without success]]. Between the extremely high infant mortality rate, wars and the dangers of the ocean, Idoneth numbers rapidly dwindled. Things only changed when they found out after experimentation [[Dark Eldar|if you kill something with a soul and put that soul into an Idoneth elf, they won't die prematurely]]. They first tried this on animals, but animal souls only brought them days, so they decided to go to the surface and start taking the souls of other people. Though other souls, such as those of human, duardin, orruks and even sylvaneth worked equally well for the Idoneth's purpose, it often took more than a few souls to empower an elf to live even a third of their normal lifespan.

At first it was only for survival, since the withering of souls continued unabated and has so far proven incurable, but later they did it for the expansion of their newly found enclaves. Of the original Idoneth made by Teclis, their numbers dwindled until only one was left - Volturnos. At first it was only one in Hysh, but after the discovery of the '''Whirlways''', whirlpools that work as underwater Realmgates, they started to get into the rest of the realms. Due to [[Skub|differences among the Cytharai]] and a growing population, they expanded to all Mortal Realms save [[Azyr]] and founded several enclaves in all of them. They developed a pattern of swift raids and a strict "leave no witnesses" policy, surrounding themselves with memory-altering magic so anyone who encountered them would forget it soon after if the Idoneth didn't kill or capture them first (and the rare few who managed to escape with this knowledge were written off as lunatics or deluded).

But there were other powers out there so the secret could only last for so long. [[Sigmar]] long suspected that something dangerous was in the oceans, but had other concerns so he didn't go looking. It was Alarielle and the Sylvaneth who first pierced the veil of secrecy. In Ghyran, an Idoneth attack on some coastal Sylvaneth drew the attention of [[Alarielle]], who entered the fray and personally defeated them in battle. Since Alarielle is a goddess, she's immune to their memory-altering magic and her word is all the Sylvaneth need to be on guard against the Idoneth.

The Idoneth became quite the hikkikomori: betrayed by their creator, forced into bad habits for survival and hated by many.

===Age of Chaos===
While the Sylvaneth kept the secret, the Idoneth dialed back their attacks and kept a low profile in Ghyran. On the Chaos side, the [[Keeper of Secrets]] Sslish the Depraved followed the spoor of strange magic and eventually found an Idoneth army, attacking them with a daemonic army until an Eidolon destroyed them. [[Archaon]] had long suspected there were more aelves than would seem, but wasn't able to confirm this until his Gaunt Summoners found the same magic and scried, finding and binding Sslish before Archaon tortured the daemon into spilling the beans.

But the Idoneth thought that they didn't need the surface world and limited themselves to the oceans, leaving only for raiding souls. During the Age of Chaos this started to change. They fought the forces of Chaos wherever they found them, either leaving Chaos' other opponents alone or killing them and taking their souls too. High King Volturnos realized that they'd have to ally with others to fight off Chaos though most other Idoneth didn't approve of this. First, he reached out to Alarielle for peace talks but, wary of trickery and aware of the Idoneth's past actions, Alarielle turned them down. They also encountered some Stormcast Eternals, and after a battle where the Idoneth learned they're unable to capture Stormcast souls due to Sigmar's blessing, they found new allies in the Sigmarines.

===Malign Portents===
They also have kind of a big issue with [[Nagash]]. Nagash knew about the disappeared souls from the get-go and is kind of territorial in regard to the dead. Even worse was when the Idoneth in Shyish altered their magic and used it to harvest long-dead souls from afterlives or those of undead beings. Because they're stealing souls to save themselves, Nagash is not happy with them (read: ''REALLY hates them and put them on his genocide list'').

At first, Nagash had no idea who was taking the souls or where, despite extensive searching on his part. After the accidental drainage of a sea in Shyish (''How the hell do you drain a sea "accidentally"?!'') by the [[Skaven]] (''...oh, THAT's how. Even better, [[Thanquol|everyone's favorite Grey Seer]] was responsible.''), [[Nagash]] caught on to their existence and location. In response, he started emptying more seas in Shyish and sending waves of undead after the Idoneth to stamp them out because he’s the only guy who believes himself to be allowed to have dead souls.

In their desperation, the Idoneth of Shyish changed their foreign policy and allied with the Forces of Order. Around this time, some Idoneth got so desperate they somewhat reconciled with their estranged creator-god Teclis. At least, enough to fight alongside him and their Lumineth brethren in battle.

===Broken Realms===
In Broken Realms: Morathi, the titular character sent a force into the Idoneth's temple to steal the Ocarian Lantern they'd stolen from Teclis. Despite her success, only two of the sixty warriors Morathi sent survived, one of them because they were captured by the Idoneth. The Idoneth interrogated the captured Khainite, and learned of Morathi's plans. The Idoneth flipped out and had a council of monarchs, fearing that if an enemy got their hands on it, they could use it to find all their Enclaves and thus wipe out their race. Volturnos declared war on the Daughters of Khaine. He gathered forces from every Enclave and attacked Hagg Nar with a massive army.

Despite fierce resistance from the Daughters of Khaine and their Scourge and Freeguild pirate allies, Volturnos and his elite guard reached the ritual chamber but were too late to prevent Morathi reaching godhood, though Volturnos helped damage the Mathcoir, Morathi's cauldron of blood. The newly ascended Morathi-Khaine defeated Volturnos' forces, pinned him to the floor and offered an alliance, giving back the Lantern as well as a lot of lost Cythai souls as a peace offering. Volturnos, wary despite his joy at being reunited with his fellow Cythai, allied with Morathi and withdrew his forces. Together, the Idoneth Deepkin assisted in Morathi's conquest of Anvilguard, but neither trusts the other, so it's not a question of "if" their alliance will break, but "when".

==Society==
The Idoneth society is divided in three clear castes. First we have the '''Namarti''', composed of those 90% of Idoneth who were born with incomplete souls, extremely pale skin, short lifespan (for an aelf anyway, they may still live more than us puny humans [In the two pages where their battletome talks about the Namarti, they mention that they only live for "three to four decades," but also says that souls can be used to "replenish their diminishing souls."] ) and without eyes that are the majority of the population and are the workforce. Then we have the lucky 10% dudes that were born with complete souls (aka, average aelves): the '''Akhelians''', the warrior caste and those who ride the sweet-looking eels, sharks, Deepmares and Leviadons; and the '''Isharann''', that are the magic users and priests. However, the first ones among all of them were the '''Cythai''' which due to accidents, wars or other shenanigans have all died out, save for the exception of [[Volturnos]], who is still alive after millennia.

One of the more weird phenomena that happens around these guys on land is the so-called '''Ethersea'''. This is a manifestation of their marine magic, taking the form of a mist that enables them to use their superior sea-faring abilities and allow their sea beasts to survive where there's no water in miles and move as if they were in water. The Ethersea also have the secondary effect that it manipulates the land and makes it gain deep-sea characteristics spontaneously, like shipwhrecks, coral, fish shoals to start running freely, bubble breath...and even the pressure and sensation of drowning to those unwitting or uninitiated in such sorcery.

A possible bit of continuity errors already creeping in; whilst the armybook describes the Namarti caste as inherently eyeless, an Idoneth-focused short story in the anthology "Myths and Revenants" declares that the Namarti are actually born with eyes, but their ensouled counterparts ceremonially cut their eyes out when they reach puberty for undisclosed reasons.

==Idoneth, the AoS Drukhari?==
For many people a comparison between Drukhari and the Idoneth comes naturally. But beyond having something to do with souls there is nothing to this.

The Drukhari murder-raped a god into existence, before they were even technically called Drukhari. They seek every emotion and sensation, pleasure and pain alike and need the pain of others topping off their souls to even stay alive, and as the Harlequins and Craftworlders show, they don't have to do this... but the Drukhari would rather be sadistic parasites than change their ways. Idoneth are complete opposites of this. They went down in the ocean not just to hide from Teclis, but to numb their senses, to limit their perception of touch, warmth and sight. They didn't want to feed on others souls, but now they have no choice, and they fear feeding Slaanesh and refuse to make the pact with the devil.

Instead the Idoneth seek to solve the fault in their souls on their own. They developed the Soulbonding, using other races souls as fuel for their Namarti as a stopgap measure, while their Isharann still look for a way to find a permanent solution. For all the Idoneth, save for the Fuethan, the raids are a means to an end to buy as much time as the Isharann need - and for the Fuethan, it's also impulsive aggression not sadism. All the while the Drukhari indulge in the same debauchery that they have since their inception, never seeking to solve the underlying issue of their demise.

The entire society of the Idoneth has evolved to fix the flaw, every caste doing their highly specialised part in ensuring the survival and secrecy of their kind, and making sure that the Isharann will have all the time in the world to cure what Teclis could not. On the other side every part of Drukhari society has developed to be the worst kind of sadists, routinely backstabbing each other and not considering the loss of Eldar life as much of a tragedy.

In their quest to save and fix the vast majority of their race, the Idoneth soldiers were forced to resort to large scale violence. As it stands, Idoneth are not the grimdark Dark Eldar, they are cold, nobledark Elves of the sea. The ACTUAL AoS Dark Eldar equivalents are more along the lines of the [[Daughters of Khaine]], or [[Malekith|Malerion]] and his bunch whenever they scuttle out of whatever hole they've been hiding in.

They do however share a number of strong similarities that build a much stronger argument for the Drukhari being the counterpart of Idoneth over say the Daughters of Khaine. Both the Idoneth and Drukhari favour lightning fast, hit and run attacks using large numbers of flying vehicles or monsters in the case of Idoneth as their mounts move by "swimming" through the air thanks to the Ethersea creating an artificial magical ocean environment.

Both are the remnants of a more ancient form of their race, the Drukhari as survivors of the Fall who fled into the webway and the Idoneth as the successors to the Cythai. Both fled their near extinction to dwell in realms almost inaccessible to the other factions being Commoragh and its Subrealms and in the case of Idoneth the deep ocean.

Aside from the need to Vampiricly siphon the souls of other races to top up their own withering, fading souls a trait wholy unique to these two specific races the Court of the Blind King does reveal that the Idoneth inhabit an extremely political society filled with scheming, mutiny, back stabbing, assassination and jockeying for status to lead the raid on the surface world and win fame and power through a successful soul raid.

The only real similarity between Daughters of Khaine and Drukhari is Daughters of Khaine wear spikey armour? And are the remnant of WHFBs Druchii...?

==Enclaves==
The "factions" of the Deepkin are the Enclaves, city-states founded under the seas of the realms connected by underwater realm gates called Whirlways. Whilst there are, as expected with such a large setting, countless Enclaves, there are six main ones that have been fleshed out.

*'''Ionrach''': [[Ultramarines|The posterboys, who have their armour painted a shiny blue and also have a venerable leader from a forgotten age]]. The Ionrach are one of the first enclaves that ran from the rays of Teclis into the seas of Hysh, though they have since emigrated to Ghyran. Notably the most "friendly" of the enclaves, to the point where they will actually co-operate with the other forces of Order. They, under High King Volturnos, call most often for the assembrals, large scale meetings of the Idoneth.
*'''Dhom-Hain''': The polar opposites of the Ionrach, being the first to part ways with their fellow Deepkin to settle in the ''literal hellscape'' that are the seas of Ghur. Seriously, imagine every lethal predator that ever lived in our seas but 10x larger and there's ridiculous amounts of them. They settled in a deep chasm, where lots of the Fangmora Eels lurked. This meant that they use more Akhelians than other enclaves. Once went to Ghyran and fought some Sylvaneth until Alarielle kicked their asses over it. Said battle cost them a valuable ancestral heirloom, which several Dhom-Hain nobles have tried and failed to retrieve. For centuries they have not attended the assembrals, only having come back very recently to discuss a matter which they believed to threaten their entire kind.
*'''Fuethan''': Living in the seas of Aqshy means that these Deepkin are especially aggressive, especially when collecting souls. Whilst enclaves like the Ionrach would spare the soul of say, a child, the Fuethan would do no such thing and have even been known to [[RIP AND TEAR|hack away at their foes' bodies even when they're long dead]]. Unlike the other enclaves, they care little for the balance in between Akhelian and Isharann in their ruling council, giving pretty much total control to the war-like Akhelians. The Fuethan also believe that the souls of other elves are best to replenish themselves, and target other elves almost exclusive for their soul raids. Unsurprisingly, they have also been responsible for more Idoneth infighting than any other enclave. Needless to say, the Fuethan are also some of the cruelest to their Namarti and have a regular ritual, reminiscent of Ancient Sparta's treatment of their Helot slave caste, where young Akhelians go out to slaughter as many as they can (one that horrifies most other enclaves).
*'''Mor'Phann''': Dour and pale, the Mor'Phann inhabit the dark seas in Shyish. They use lots of mist and pale tentacled creatures, many were hit especially hard by the Necroquake and being outed by Nagash, to the point where they had to ally with the Stormcast to not die. Particularly adept at soul-magic now, they seem to have more of a tendency to keep their Namarti alive during battle by reviving them, where other enclaves prioritize the use of souls at home for new generations of Namarti. Their newest innovation was to use their soul-harvesting magic to take long-dead souls from afterlives or the undead.
*'''Briomdar''': These guys used to be a part of the Ionrach, before declaring independence and settling in the middle of an undersea kelp forest in Ghyran. Experts at navigating terrain and ambushes - even by Idoneth standards - they camouflage themselves in kelp to leap out at unsuspecting passerbys. As an Ionrach off-shoot, they're the second most willing to ally with non-Idoneth. They're particularly friendly with the Sylvaneth and are doing their best to find a cure for the Idoneth's soul malady.
*'''Nautilar''': An enclave that literally [[Awesome|lives on the shell of a giant crusteacean]] called the Giant Scaphodon. Recently they took quite a beating from some [[Skaven]] that tunnelled underwater using the corpses of dead sea-animals, only to be saved by the arrival of the High King and Stormcast allies. Also used to be a part of the Ionrach, they have an interest in large sea-creatures rivalled only by the Dhom-Hain, so they make use of lots of Leviadons. They live in harmony with their host, protecting the gigantic creature and receiving a home in return.

==Named Characters==
*'''High King Volturnos''': High King of the Ionrach Enclave and the only guy with the clout to unify the Enclaves to a common purpose. He's the last of the Cythai, the first generation of Idoneth created by Teclis himself. This makes him a candidate for the title of oldest aelf still alive that isn't a god, since as a Cythai he is older than every other elf apart from Morathi (who is a goddess now of course), Eltharion (a soul reanimating a suit of armor so he may not count) and Hellebron (if AoS Hellebron is the resurrected World-That-Was/WFB Hellebron). Lost an eye in combat with the Masque of Slaanesh, so he sports an eyepatch but hasn't lost any of his fighting ability. Recently entered into an alliance with Morathi in exchange for being given the souls of the other Cythai. His name comes from Volturnus the real-life Roman god associated with the river Tiber.
*'''Lotann, Warden of the Soul Ledgers''': The Soul Ledgers are a sect of Isharann who are in charge of keeping a tally of the souls collected in raids. Lotann is the only one of these guys who is dedicated enough to actually join the battlefield to better observe the souls taken on raids. Lacking combat abilities as you'd expect from a bureaucrat, he mostly relies on his octopus familiar to defend himself.
*'''Sythus Nemmetar''': An Akhelian King who is Volturnos' right hand man. Got his steed killed by Morathi and his face mutilated Two-Face style by a Hag Queen during the siege of Hagg Nar. This has reasonably made him very sour on being ordered to ally with the Daughters of Khaine, especially since he was assigned to work with that same Hag Queen, who trolls him about his damaged face.
*'''Lurien''': Protagonist of the Court of the Blind King novel, and a colossal dick. The heir to the throne of the Briomdar Enclave, he spends the wake of his mother's funeral planning how he'll enjoy becoming king. He instead gets his ass kicked in a duel for the kingship and locked up. A Namarti spirit tender, Namariel, frees Lurien on the condition that he make her his consort if he succeeds, and he goes on an adventure with her and her friends to gather support and launch his own counter-coup. Over the course of the story he develops from a spoiled, entitled douchebag into someone who is still a pretty big douchebag but at least one who understands that if he wants to gain power he needs to be able to compromise with other people.

==Soulbound==
According to [[Age of Sigmar Roleplay]], becoming a Soulbound is a terrifying yet tempting idea for Idoneth Deepkin. On the one hand, they're incredibly isolationist, and they have a racial grudge against their creator-god [[Teclis]] for trying to kill all of them. On the other hand, undergoing the rite of Binding strengthens a Deepkin's soul to a degree that they can't achieve on their own, freeing them forever from both the fear of losing their souls and from the phantom pain that haunts their entire race, whilst simultaneously giving them permission to reap souls aplenty from foes and fallen allies alike. Those Idoneth who do agree to make the pledge (usually specifying that they will never directly serve Teclis first) are essentially forever exiled from their people, although the most foresighted Idoneth Kings and Queens, such as those descended from Ionrach, have realized that, in this changing age, Idoneth Soulbound can make useful ambassadors for their race, [[Grimdark|perhaps by making the lord of a land be conveniently too busy to help a nowhere fishing village when the next raid comes]].

The ''Champions of Order'' splatbook opens the following enclaves for your Idoneth hero to hail from:
*'''Ionrach:''' As the first of the Idoneth, they are the forefront of their ideals and often the representatives of their race. Also helping is that they are comparatively diplomatic compared to others of their kind. Indeed, this means that many Idoneth Soulbound hail from this enclave, with a majority of them being Isharann who boast better casting. Heroes from the Ionrach can always tell if others are amenable to their plans and have advantage on opposed tests in such cases. They also have the Tactician and A Good Plan archetypes available to all archetypes regardless of any prerequisites.
*'''Dhom-hain:''' Equally as large as the Ionrach, but very insular as opposed to being friendly. Stationed in the realm of Ghur, they believe that they are stronger in their constant battles with the beasts of the depths and scorn any attempts to befriend. Indeed, this means that few of this enclave become Soulbound. Those that do are either very open-minded or incredibly daring, pitting themselves against the terrors of the surface world. Heroes from Dhom-hain add an extra number of dice equal to their training in Athletics when they charge.
*'''Fuethán:''' The most outright cruel of the enclaves. As they hail from the realm of fire, their tempers are equally vicious and uncontrolled and their beasts are equally as temperamental. They view the other forces of Order less as allies ad they are a giant plate of souls to feast upon. Because of this, there are few Soulbound hailing from this enclave, and those who do are either disenfranchised (like the majority of the Isharann caste) or working out some intense aggression. Heroes from Fuethán are particularly aggressive; if they or their mount attacks an enemy that suffered damage on this turn, they improve their Melee by one step.
*'''Mor'phann:''' Hailing from the depths of Shyish, they are a particularly bleak and morose lot. Though they say little, they know that their stakes are as dire as their kinds, especially since they have been subject to not only the Necroquake but also countless incursions by the Skaven. Heroes from Mor'phann emanate a chilling aura that forces foes nearby to make a Soul (Determination) check or else be frightened for the turn.
*'''Nautilar:''' Once a colony of the Ionrach, they seceded after a great war between them and Dhom-hain at the dawn of the Age of Chaos. In some ways, they act as a bridge between the two bitter rivals, aiding Dhom-hain's wars against the Orruks while also attending the assembrals of the Ionrach. Their capital is upon a massive beast, and from there they have learned the virtues of symbiotic codependence as well as defensive warfare. This has only deepened after their capital was besieged by the Skaven and rescued by the Stormcast, and they are now more open to flush out any mutual threats. Heroes from Nautilar increase their Defense by one step against enemies who attack them from outside their zone. On top of this, their armor is improved by +1 thanks to being reinforced with the Great Scaphodon's shell.
*'''Briomdar:''' Another offshoot of the Ionrach, though they have settled for Ghyran, hiding within the labyrinthine expanses of the Green Gulch. Adapting to their particular surroundings, they have mastered the art of camouflage and are capable of seeking out their enemies with an unmatched keenness. Heroes from Briomdar thus suffer no issues moving through difficult terrain and can swim, climb, squeeze, and crawl at their normal speeds. If an enemy seeks to impede their path, they have advantage on any tests to avoid them.

Idoneth Soulbound have access to the '''Akhelian Emissary''', '''Isharann Soulscryer''' and '''Isharann Tidecaster''' archetypes in the corebook. The ''Champions of Order'' splatbook opens the '''Isharann Soulrender''' archetype.

==Musical Accompaniment to playing these Sea Elves==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV8i-pSVMaQ&ab_channel=RobertDarwin Jaws theme], mandatory if you have any Allopexes in your army.
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oPgmyN90B4&ab_channel=ILikeMoviesandMusic King Orm's theme], *Aquaman (2018)*. Pretty good "vengeance from the sea"- type music (the drum beat fits even more if you have a Leviadon), and for the gamer who will undoubtedly paint an Akhelian King as Orm.
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-Ko2FbzIcc&ab_channel=WaterTowerMusic He Commands The Sea], also from *Aquaman (2018)*. Good if you want a more heroic feel, and for the gamer who will undoubtedly paint an Akhelian King as Aquaman.
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kp0LxKTZhk ''Leviathan'' by Mastodon]. Nautical-themed sludge/prog metal, all about fighting Moby Dick and spilling blood on the high seas. For maximum effect, play "Aqua Dementia" on the charge, "Blood and Thunder" during High Tide, and "Iron Tusk" when your Leviadon wades in and starts ruining shit.
* If Symphonic Metal is more your bag, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4z_jqmkx5g Legion of the Seas by Visions of Atlantis] works great too.
* [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkusy4ylhiY And this, obviously...]

==David Guymers Idoneth Fiction==
David Guymer is the Black Library author who was set to the task of writing the Idoneth Deepkin fiction, as he did in "The Court of the Blind King" and his short story in "Myths and Revenants." Unfortunately for us, this man has a knack for contradicting lore.

Though it is established that becoming an Akhelian King or Queen is done via meritocracy across enclaves, he wrote that Briomdar has an inheritable throne, like a monarchy. Whereas most Idoneth see the loss of each others' lives as to be avoided where possible, Guymer has them engage in murderous duels and violent infighting at the drop of a hat with little consequence. While this behavior would fit the Fuethan and maybe Dhom-Hain, the enclave in the story is the Brimodar (canonically one of the friendliest and most level-headed enclaves).

Pointless abuse against Namarti is rampant; they are not only seen as cursed and unfortunate, but borderline not worth living. While some enclaves such as Fuethan treat them like this, again, this is very out-of-character for the Brimodar. Where the Battletome established that Namarti are born without eyes, Guymer for some reason thinks that their eyes are ritualistically removed in their youth.

While the actual prose is great, his novel is filled to be brim with lore contradictions that make the Deepkin much worse than they actually are.

==An Interesting Note==
Mantic Games had been producing their own Trident Realm range several years before the Idoneth were conceived. They're categorically not elves (Kings of War has elf factions, the Trident Realm isn't one of them), and mostly naiads and thuul with a number of other underwater-themed species. Whether someone at GW saw this and thought “damn, we could make a killing out of this” or not is unknown.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
file:Fucking_Idoneth.jpeg
file:Idometh_army.jpeg
file:Battleshark.jpg|WE'RE RIDING A SHARK! WE'RE RIDING A SHARK! SUCK OUR DICKS, WE'RE RIDING A SHARK!
</gallery>

==See Also==
*[[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Order/Idoneth Deepkin|Tactics/Deepkin]]
*[[Idoneth Deepkin Enclave Creation Tables]]

{{Playable Factions in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar}}
{{Idoneth Deepkin-Units}}

[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Glutos Orscollion

2023-06-08T10:58:24Z

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[[File:GlutosOrscollion.webp|thumb|250px|right|Glutos in his mobile buffet table.]]
The self titled “Lord of Gluttony” and “Grand Gourmand”, '''Glutos Orscollion''' is a lavishly obese champion of [[Slaanesh]] in [[Age of Sigmar]]. While the rest of the Slaanesh mortals exemplified the sex appeal and combat perfection side of the Dark Prince ([[Sigvald|or selfish pride and vanity]]), Glutos embodies raw all consuming excess, being both a perpetrator and slave to ceaseless indulgence. Oh, and have we mention how fat he was? Seriously, his waistline matches the average [[fa/tg/uy]] in sheer girth. It's at the point where he has to be carried around on an opulent <s>mobility scooter</s> palanquin, where his equally depraved servants can feed him all manner of exotic food at any time.

==History==
===Origin===
Glutos began life as a frail and emaciated street rat living in [[Hysh]]. He was the son of a failed merchant family, forced to live a life of thievery and begging just to survive. His life would be forever changed when he decided to steal from a shady looking temple that was ''totally'' not a secret Slaaneshi cult. Young Glutos stole and ate a handful of golden grains that was offered as a gift to the ancient daemon '''Loth’shar''', who as punishment decided to curse Glutos with [[Ogor Mawtribes|a ravenous hunger]] and a craving for more exotic tastes. Despite Glutos spending what little coin he had on exotic food to sate the hunger, Loth’shar remained a taunting voice in the back of the boy’s head for many years, torturing him as he was never able to satisfy his hunger.

Then on one fateful night, he found the recently deceased corpse of a beggar in the alleyway near his home. [[Grimdark|Loth’shar tempted the starving Glutos to eat it, who did so with tears in his eyes.]] To his morbid surprise, Glutos found the taste of flesh to be exquisitely filling, and from then on he began a life of cannibalism, luring unwitting strangers into the alleyways to consume them. He dined on scholars, warriors, and mages alike, his body bloating to its signature prodigious size and covered in mutations, gifts from his now patron Loth’shar.

Over time, tales spread among the Hedonites of Slaanesh of a true champion of excess, many mortals flocking to Glutos’ side just to bask in his hedonistic glow. No matter what their own obsession was, all Hedonites found something to admire in the Lord of Gluttony, feeling empowered by his presence to greater depths of depravity. Glutos Orscollion was now the rotund regent of his own warband, which he uses to burn down entire cities to feed his hunger. Glutos is now on a tour of the Mortal Realms, eager to taste all the exotic foods he can find.

===Broken Realms===
The Lord of Gluttony’s all-you-can-eat buffet tour has led him into contact with the recently reincarnated [[Sigvald]]. The two Slaanesh champions were quick to bicker, at one point they sacked a Dwarfish city together and compared their lists of kills. Sigvald bragged he'd gotten more kills, while Glutos responded by saying he got 66 and that was better given Slaanesh's fondness for the number 6. Then Dexcessa and Synessa, the Newborn of Slaanesh, appeared and silenced the two squabbling lords and told them of their new destination; [[Cities of Sigmar|Excelsis]], where a great “feast” is going to take place.

Said feast turned out to be the culmination of a great scheme carried about by the twins to take Excelsis for Slaanesh by manipulating the Skaven and an anti-magic Sigmarite cult led by an anti-elf racist. Neither Glutos or Sigvald are properly mentioned in the story, however a short story came out afterwards telling us what happened to them. Turns out that to help out the defenders of Excelsis the [[Lizardmen|Seraphon]] not only ambushed the Slaaneshi champions in a forest somewhere, but also managed to turn the champions against each other. Probably by a skink mentioning skub.

==Tabletop==
As fitting for his impressively opulent model, Glutos is a centerpiece support hero who provides passive buffs to all Mortal Hedonite models the longer he remains on the battlefield. He’s like [[Katakros]], traveling with a large retinue that provide their own buffs as well, although it is these servants that do all of the fighting in Glutos’ stead. As the servants die, Glutos loses most of his combat potential, and being such a large model also means he’s an easy target for missile attacks.

Glutos is also a Wizard, his signature spell inflicting enemies his own cursed hunger (halves all movement, charge, or run rolls). He also has the Leerstave of Loth’shar that adds 1 to any casting, dispelling, or unbinding rolls, which can be further bolstered by his buff in the fifth battle-round, rerolling failed casting, dispelling, or unbinding rolls.

{{AoS-Champions}}
[[Category: Hedonites of Slaanesh]]

Skragrott

2023-06-08T10:57:52Z

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[[File:Skragrott.jpeg|thumb|Stop in da name of da Bad Moon!]]

{{topquote|Da Bad Moon spoke to me once.|Skragrott, speaking of his experiences with the Bad Moon.}}

Of all the [[Gloomspite Gitz]], the most infamous Grot of them all is '''Skragrott''', the self-proclaimed Loonking and Master of Grotkind. He’s a kunnin' warlord rules through a combination of infectious reverence to the Bad Moon and a knack for conning his fellow grots.

==Fluff==
His origins are a mystery; nobody knows where he came from, and any that do are quickly thumped over the head and sent to the Fungal Asylum (more on that later). All that is really known is that he turned up at the battle for Ayadah, a region of [[Chamon]], and that he promptly lead all the Grots present to glorious victory. This would be impressive enough, but fate held more in store for the Grot. That night, he spoke with the Bad Moon in his sleep. When he woke up, insects were crawling all over his body, and his head was covered in slime and aching like a rotten tooth as a crown of wildly colorful mushrooms was sprouting from his skull (yuck). A skull-headed wand lay at one side, and a tall crooked staff at the other, topped with a rare and powerful Badloon Bossfungus. From this point on, he became convinced that it was his destiny to usher in the Everdank. He led the Moonclan mobs to a great victory, taking control of Ayadah and the fortress of Skrappa Spill, a gross place covered in fungus that used to be the ancestral home of the [[Gnoblar]]s.

Whilst most other Grot warlords would just rest on their laurels and promptly get backstabbed by their lieutenants, Skragrott was too [[Awesome|smart]] to let that happen to him. He figured out a way to guess the direction of the Bad Moon; the Fungal Asylum. You see, this was around the time [[Nagash|Bone Daddy]] let the Necroquake loose, and magic was running wild like [[Doomrider]] in a drug store. Seers, Wizards, etc began to experience visions. Skragrott kidnapped a large amount of these people, and dragged them to a pocket realm, his Fungal Asylum, essentially a big slimy cave full of mushrooms.

These seers are thumped on the head with his staff and a really gross transformation happens; they basically turn into [[Grimdark|giant humanoid mushrooms whose faces are twisted into a mournful scream whilst gibbering nonsense]]. These rambles are deciphered by Skragrott to plot out where the Bad Moon is going to fly over in the realms next, and thus make it seem to his followers like he has a clue about what the hell he's doing.

Skragrott's main concern has been securing control over the area surrounding Ayadah, especially a Sylvaneth Wargrove with a powerful Realmgate at its heart, which would allow Skragrott to take over even more territory. Though he still makes time for other things, like leading a raid on the Free-City of Draconium in Aqshy and organizing the siege of the Tuskvault in Ghur along with his orruk counterpart [[Gordrakk]].

After the Tuskvault job went bust, Skragrott was forced to march as part of [[Gordrakk]]'s Waaagh as it journeyed to attack the free city of Excelsis. He was not enthusiastic about marching under Gordrakk's banner, as much of the imposing influence he had in Skrappa Spill is ignored by the Ironjawz and other forces. He mostly sucked it up and tries to use his more cunning nature to help keeps Gordrakk's Waaagh intact and trying as best he can to improve on Gordrakk's rather basic plans to attack Excelsis (such as having spider riders discreetly lead the Orruks on safer routes to the city, and arranging a group of Mercenery Ogors to betray the city from within) and also calls the Bad Moon to break up a fight between [[Kragnos]] and Gordrakk when the fat centaur made his debut and insisted he was now top dog of Destruction. Skragrott, with the aid of the Bad Moon, lent a tremendous hand in helping the army besiege the city and the horde came nearly within taking it, but unfortunately Kragnos abandoning the siege and the arrival of city reinforcements caused Skragrott to abaddon the venture and flee the city.

When he returned home, the Loonking could sense the frantic state that the Realms were in thanks to Kragnos’ reemergence. Skragrott was never the type to waste opportunity so he used this to reinvigorate his Grot hordes and redouble their efforts of claiming all of Ayadah in his name.

==Crunch==
Sragrott's got 6 wounds, and a 5+ armor save, which is standard for a wizard but laughable compared to other named head-honcho characters. However, all his power comes from his wide array of powerful and sneaky equipment. His Loonking's Crown grants him a 4+ Feel No Pain save, as well as a +1 to cast and dispel. The Babbling Wand of Kaloth gives him mad inspiration, and in each of your hero phrases on a 4+ you get '''D3 command points.''' His fancy staff called Da Moon Onna Stick gives him 4 mediocre melee attacks, and six highly accurate ranged shots at a long 28" range, meaning he almost functions like artillery instead of a legendary hero. In addition, if an enemy model takes unsaved damage from Da Moon Onna Stick, at the end of every battle round from now on that model takes a mortal wound, meaning heroes start sweating every time Skragrott glances in their direction. His command ability is simple: if he's your general, then once per game you can spend a command point and just decide what the moon does that turn, no rolling. Want to make sure the moon's in the center of the board this turn, or keep it there for longer so the whole board is covered in lunar goodness? This command ability does just that. Oh, did we mention he's a powerful spellcaster, with two spells a turn, and a unique spell that damages enemies and steals their magic items?

Skragrott may not be a physical powerhouse like other faction leaders or even that magically gifted, but what he does bring is a versatile toolbox full of unique abilities, from providing up to three additional CP per turn, destroying enemy artifacts, or even controlling how the Bad Moon will move that turn. Bringing him to a game is loads of fun and your Grots and Troggoths are sure to appreciate his presence.

{{AoS-Gitz}}
[[Category: Age of Sigmar]]
[[Category: Gloomspite Gitz]]

Gloomspite Gitz

2023-06-08T10:57:30Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Gloomspite Gitz|Logo=Deity Bad Moon 01.png|Alliance=Destruction|Motto=I’m gonna go higher! I’m pissing on da Moon!}}

{{Topquote|Da Bad Moon spoke to me, once. All dese years, through all dese realms, I've followed it in da skies and 'ave heard all da stories about 'ow it came to be...|Skragrott the Loonking}}

{{Topquote|Don't go 'round tonight. It's bound to take your life. There's a Bad Moon on the rise.|Creedence Clearwater Revival}}

The '''Gloomspite Gitz''' are a loose coalition of [[Night Goblins|Moonclan Grot]]s, [[Forest Goblins|Spiderfang Grots]], [[Troll|Troggoths]] and more all united in the worship of the Bad Moon, which they see as an aspect of [[Gorkamorka (Deity)|Gorkamorka]]. This combination has created a faction that somehow ended up much more “chaosy” than Chaos, being more Heath Ledger Joker than evil cults and barbarians following their gods’ rules. They personify the horror and madness that comes with reckless destruction, with no aim other than to cause more of it.

==The Bad Moon==

{{Topquote|Vast, horrible eyes staring down, seeming to see straight into her soul. Tattered clouds scattering as though fleeing in horror from the lunar abomination that settled low and gibbous in the skies above. The jagged suggestion of fangs the size of mountains, set in a leering, pockmarked face whose sanity-blasting immensity dwarfed the city as an armoured warrior dwarfs an insect.|Excerpt From “Gloomspite” by Andy Clark}}

The Bad Moon itself is a supernatural moon (even moreso than [[Morrslieb]] from the world that was) that travels between realms in no discernible pattern. A thing of horror and mystery, with those who seek to divine its path (Tzeentch sorcerers, Azyr astronomers, Skaven Grey Seers, and many more) driven mad by the celestial object. It also sends ill portents across the realms wherever it passes. It can even speak, though the only person it has done so to is Skragrott, allegedly, at least. If you take as many mushrooms as the Night Goblins do you'd probably begin to hear voices as well. He ain't called "Loonking" for nothing.

There are three stories of its origins. Most greenskins claim it's a moon that Gorkamorka tried to eat. It broke some of his teeth so he spat it out but unintentionally left a bit of his power in it. The Spiderfang Grots see it as an egg of their spider god which will one day hatch and flood the realms with spiders. Grot shaman's believe it is made of the coalesced souls of every grot shaman who has ever lived.

Whatever the case, the Bad Moon fills the Gloomspite Gits with lunacy, which they refer to as “Gloomspite” that fills them with fervor and strength but also takes a toll on their sanity. Just as Waaagh! energy builds up and empowers orruks, which is generated through their belligerence and battle-hunger; Gloomspite is generated out of the grots’ cruelty, spite, hatred of those more fortunate and sheer meanness. When the Bad Moon waxes, wars rage.

As the moon approaches an area, strange things occur. All surfaces will become clammy and slick with cave-moisture, animals will go insane or start to speak in weird and disturbing tongues, water drips up instead of down, insects and arachnids crawl out of every crevice and become aggressive to everyone. Worst of all, giant fungi grow on every material, from stone, wood, earth, to metal and even flesh. People will suffer from insomnia, nightmares, paranoia, and in the case of those unfortunates who are already weak minded, full-on schizophrenic insanity. For instance, in the novel ''Gloomspite'' by Andy Clark the coming of the Bad Moon was a source of Lovecraftian dread; as acts of anarchy, bouts of madness, and surges of murderous insects from below plagued the city of Draconium for a week before its arrival which itself caused shifts in gravity and the collapse of government; All of which works to further prepare an area for takeover by the Gloomspite Gitz, who thrive in these uncomfortable times. By the time the Bad Moon itself leers overhead the hordes of Grots, Squigs, Spiders, and Troggoths are already invading from hidden tunnels below or pouring from caves in the hills. And if the Bad Moon is feeling particularly spiteful it will “spit” out meteorites of loonstone called “Fangz of the Bad Moon”. They crash down onto its enemies with cataclysmic force and become the sites where the Gitz build their Loonshrines, from which even more Grots will pour out of.

The Bad Moon is also followed and orbited by a smaller moonlet or asteroid that crashes into celestial objects in its way. Much like how the Grots have varying ideas of what the Bad Moon itself is, they believe the smaller moon to be the Bad Moon's punishing fist, its pet squig, or even the ancient spirit of a [[Skarsnik|powerful Grot warlord who conquered eight mighty mountain peaks]] in the primeval World-That-Was...

[[File:SkagrottMoon.jpg|400px|thumb|right|"Do you see me down ere'??!! I'm Skragrott the Loonking, Lord of da' Gloomspite Gitz!! ANSWER ME!!! WILL I EVER HEAR YOUR VOICE AGAIN??!!?"]]

==History==
===“Da Age uv Miff”===
Greenskins, grots included, have always existed in the mortal realms. Even when Sigmar’s pantheon worked to cultivate new kingdoms and nations on their own, scheming hordes of grots scraped and stabbed their way to survival. Sigmar eventually gained the trust of Gorkamorka, which meant the majority of his children would stop raiding the newly built bastions of Order. However, a few lesser known or obscure spots of the realms still suffered from regular attacks from the grots.

It’s around this time that the main grot sub-factions begin to emerge, born out of their environments and a religious desire to justify their spiteful actions. The Moonclan Grots take to worshiping the Bad Moon from the safety of dark dank caves, the Spiderfang take up residence in the the massive nest lairs of the Aracnarok spiders, the Grotbag Scuttlers somehow created workable flying ships and took to the skies, while the nomadic Gitmob Grots began riding wolves in Ghur and many more minor sub cultures that GW will likely never talk about again. Also noteworthy in this age is the god-beast Boingob, the grand progenitor of all squiggly beasts. The living meteor of rubbery fleshy chased after the light of Hysh, thundering across the Realm of Life before finally jumping up to bite it...only to have its body charred black and collapse to the ground. Boingob’s body becomes a holy place to the Moonclan Grots, the surrounding Orborean Woods becoming a stronghold for the grots that survived even the advances of the Age of Chaos.

===“Da Age uv Kaos”===
Unlike the orruks and ogors who thrived in the Age of Chaos, grots weren’t as lucky. Most tribes where viciously hunted down by the ruinous hordes or delved underground to escape persecution. Here the first documented Gloomspite Gitz made their appearance as Moonclan lurklairs struck deals with the Spiderfang nests. Starting from mere trading relationships these gradually evolved into full on alliances that proved very beneficial to both sides. Shortly thereafter, the newly formed Gloomspite Gitz realized that when properly interacted with and rewarded with food, the various Troggoths that also made their home in the same dark caverns and ravines could be made into excellent allies and bruisers to their mobs. Their combined swarms were used to great effect in pushing out the taint of Chaos from the dank depths of the Mortal Realms, carving out entire empires beneath the earth. Expectedly though, this meant they commonly clashed with the Fyreslayers and Skaven with these conflicts usually leading to the destruction of the losing party.

The grots following these events had minimal impact on the realms during the Age of Chaos, most preferring to carve out their own underground empires and leave the surface world to its fate (outside the occasional raid for supplies and plunder). During this period the only true large scale grot resistance to Chaos was Zigsnak's Waaagh, but ultimately this was put down with brutal swiftness. The grots overall still fared quite well considering, especially compared to many other races, not only surviving but managing to thrive and arguably becoming the true rulers of the underdark of the realms.

===“Da Age uv Da Hamma-Git”===
By the Age of Sigmar, grots were rarely seen by the surface world, becoming regarded as either myth or a very rare sight from survivors of their raids. The main reason stemming from besides small scale raids on villages or storehouses, moonclan grots would usually only come out in large numbers when in the presence of the Bad Moon. And for many centuries this was a very rare event, and probably for the best as when the Gloomspite Gitz gathered in mass it usually resulted in whole settlments disappearing off the map overnight. Incidentally this meant the Gloomspite Gitz for the most part had relatively little impact on the beginning of the age (the “biggest” thing to happen to them being the [[Sons of Behemat|many inebriated gargants]] flocking to their caves to sleep off their hangovers).

This however would change with the coming of the Necroquake. This major event, while causing great destruction throughout the realms, also had the unintended effect of causing the Bad Moon to appear far more frequently. The various Gloomspite hordes saw this as a sign from the Bad Moon and Gorkamorka that time to bring the Everdank to the surface had began and started making major incursions into the surface world in numbers not seen since the Age of Myth, followed closely by their various allies and cave-beasts (so yeah, you can thank Nagash for the Gloomspite Gitz rampaging). Since then, the moonclan, spiderfang and troggoth forces have been making many invasions to secure greater territory for themselves but also to find a way to find where the Bad Moon will appear next.

Currently the Gloomspite Gitz’ greatest territorial conquest is the lands of Ayadah in Chamon at the hands of Skragrott, with the Bad Moon now blotting out the sky in that particular area for some unknown reason (Skragrott believes its because they impressed the celestial object enough with their conquest). Skragrott claims the former home of the [[Gnoblar|Gnoblars]], Skrappa Spill as his new capital, allowing for an above-ground empire to be created. While all the various sub-factions of the Gloomspite Gitz have different reasons and motives in venerating the Bad Moon, all are ultimately united in wanting to see the surface world bow before them.

====Broken Realms====
The Loonking himself lead a mass contingent of Gitz alongside the Fist of Gork Gordrakk and the other Destruction factions in a siege of the free city Excelsis. Skragrott isn’t overly fond of this endeavor as it means he doesn’t have the same level of authority/respect among these Ghurish greenskins like the ones back in Chamon, but the strange thumping sound he’s been hearing in his head and an ill prophecy from a Tzeentchian magister tells him whatever happens at Excelsis is gonna be important.

Turns out the important thing was the awakening of the End of Empires [[Kragnos]], who wrests control over the Waaagh from Gordrakk...and still leads them to Excelsis. Skragrott schemes with an Ogor Mercenary troupe to send them far ahead of the main army to sell their services to Excelsis’ defenders, and then promptly betray them once the Waaagh! arrives. While the grots themselves weren’t noted to have done much, the Troggboss Glogg of Glogg’s Megamob made a viscous last stand on the outer walls of the city. Kragnos gets tricked by Lord Kroak and Morathi-Khaine to go through a wormhole and the destruction army scatters, with Skragrott likely feeling very peeved over the whole thing.

====Era of the Beast====
Following the disastrous(?) attack on Execlsis, the Loonking and his mobs quickly slunk back to Chamon…only to find it in complete chaos thanks to Be'lakor’s own schemes. Their home turf of Ayadah was thankfully spared from the looming warpstorms, and while the grots battened down the hatches, Skragrott started to plan ahead. He felt the surging energies from Ghur like all the Destruction races did, but more importantly he felt the Bad Moon becoming much more aggressive and frequent in its appearances. This newfound vigor would be the excellent opportunity for the Gitz to push out all unwelcome guests in Ayadah, finally claiming the whole region for grotkind. Dawnbringer crusades and Kruleboyz lairs were washed over by a tide of Stabbas, Squigs, and Spiders, all quickly being absorbed into the Loonking’s empire. Their real obstacle came from the Skaven of the Minewarren Strip, an underground network of tunnels and magic focal points that have long been contested by rat and greenskins. The Clans Skryre were able to harness these natural founts of metal magic to create terrifying war machines against the Gitz. After the initial shock of this counterattack was over, the Grots started refocusing their mobs towards the power sources of the new Skaven machines, hoping to take them over with their own Gorkamorka blessed fungus.

==Groups/Subcultures==
{{Topquote|Listen child and heed me well,<br>A grave warning you must fear.<br>Go to bed and silent stay,<br>Lest the blackencap might hear.<br>Shuttered must your windows be,<br>Your eyes, quickly, close them fast!<br>Or the Bad Moon’s light you’ll see,<br>And the sight will be your last.|An Azyrite nursery rhyme}}
===Moonclan Grots===
The [[Night Goblins|Moonclan Grots]] are pretty close to old Night Goblin lore, but with even more fungi. Moonclan Grots can't even stand outside during the day without their skin burning and their eyes clamping shut in pain, so they wear their heavy robes to hide from the terrible entity they call Glareface Frazzlegit, AKA the Sun. They believe that old Glareface exists to kill and hurt them, opposite their beloved Bad Moon. They work with the rest of the Gloomspite Gitz to bring about the Everdank - the permanent extinguishing of the sun and an eternal Bad Moonlit night. Because they so rarely appear aboveground, grots of all sorts are seen as children's fairy tales and drunkard's pink elephants, right up until the Moonclan are pouring into the streets and murdering everyone. They also have a strange obsession with bottles, and consider them the most valuable items to steal and loot from other races. The reason is twofold: first is that Grots love magic potions and their shamans can craft many clever varieties from a myriad of mystical mushrooms and fungi, and secondly Grots lack any skill or knowledge of glassblowing, meaning that they cannot craft bottles themselves. To the Moonclan, a successful raid might be several tons of food, weapons, armor pieces, building scraps, and so on, but an equally successful night of raiding is a couple dozen glass bottles in good shape.

The Moonclan Grots have become highly adept at taming the creatures that lurk within. In particular they make extensive use of squigs which they breed for various purposes such as food, war beasts, tracking hounds, decoration and even lighting (yeah there is a glow-in-the-dark breed they use in addition to bioluminescent fungus and fire to light there lairs). Entire tribes will focus entirely around the breeding of squigs and look to create ever new or more aggressive breeds of the creatures to sell to other grots. In addition, they also make use of other cave flora and fauna like various fungi and insects. Fungus and various insects/arachnids are also cultivated/bred for food, potions and for other stranger uses. However the most heavily used creature by the Moonclan grots besides squigs is the segmapede; giant centipedes used as transportation, a beast of burden and tunneling creatures for the grots, allowing them to expand their caverns very quickly.

[[Skragrott|Skragrott the Loonking]], self titled leader of the Gloomspite Gitz, has a plan. He abducts every seer and prophet he can find that's had contact with the Bad Moon. Then he infects them with a fungal strain that turns them into half-human, half-mushroom hybrids (Something he seems to be trying to weaponize in the Gloomspite Novel). The Loonking keeps these captives in his creatively named "fungal asylum". He hopes they will foretell where the Bad Moon will rise, with mixed results so far. He also delights in the torture of captives as he uses the maddening transformation as a means to acquire information from those that would stand in the Bad Moons way. His ultimate goal is to cover all the Mortal Realms in the Clammy-Dank and he has already achieved this in Ayadah.

===Spiderfang Grots===
The [[Forest Goblins|Spiderfang Grots]] are a little different than their Fantasy predecessors; they still worship the [[Spider-god]], but they also zealously follow the Bad Moon around for a different reason. They believe it is actually a FUCKHUEG egg laid by the Spider God, and that if they can make it stand still long enough it'll hatch, and spill a never-ending tide of Spiders across the Mortal Realms. [[What|Yeah]]. Says something about how crazy these gits are when even the ''Loonking'' thinks their interpretation is hard to believe. Regardless they are not to be trifled with as their hordes of grots and spiders (of varying terrifying sizes) pose a great threat to any who oppose them. Another interesting aspect to the Spiderfang is even in comparison to the Moonclan Grots, the Spiderfang have a very deep religious aspect to their society and is heavily influenced by their shamans. The Webspinner Shamans of the Spiderfang are powerful priests and wizards whose prophetic visions of the Spider-God (often brought on by the consumption of venom and hallucinogenics) have lead many stalktribes to victory, or defeat depending on the situation. They have also mastered the art of rearing and taming many large species of spiders for different purposes(food, mounts, webbing, specialized venom, etc), with the obvious exception of Arachnaroks as they are seen as holy creatures that allow the grots to live in their nests in exchange for a regular supply of food. The oldest of these colossal spiders have large shrines built upon their backs and act as focal points for worship of the Spider-God, while the youngest ones are little more than feral monsters, striking from the shadows to pull screaming prey into their nests.

===Troggoths===
Troggoths are pretty much the classic idiot troll. They’ve always existed in the Mortal Realms and no one is quite sure where they came from. Numerous legends are told by the Destruction factions on how they came to be, ranging from crawling out of the funk between Gorkamorka’s green toes, to being actual aliens from the Bad Moon who rode down to the Realms on its Fangs. They come in a couple varieties: Fellwater (River), Rockgut (Stone), and Dankhold (Mountain), with a passing mention of a fourth Sulphurbreath (Fire) variety. Fellwater Troggoths love to live in stinky swamps, fetid bogs, and stagnant pools, and stink so bad even ghosts hate them. Rockguts have the unique magical power to reshape rock and stone with their bare hands, but instead of using this power to create beautiful works of art or massive underground cities, they use their powers to scoop big rocks to throw at the enemy or make basic clubs out of. Lastly, Dankhold Troggoths are a strange breed that have hard, rocky flesh that fungus of all types can grow in. They also love to sleep, often sleeping for hundreds of years. Dankhold Troggoths also change size based on their environment, like huge humanoid fungus-goldfish, and if a Dankhold decides to squeeze itself into a tiny crevice, he'll wake up half his original size. Conversely, if a Dankhold sleeps in a huge, open cavern, he'll awaken taller than a Gargant. Lastly Dankholds love to eat fungus, especially fungi that grow on Realmstone veins, and instead of dying on the spot from consuming highly magical and radioactive fungi like any sensible creature, the Dankhold Troggoth internalizes the magic, making them magic resistant in the highest degree.

There are several other Troggoth species mentioned in passing in other battletomes and sources. Sulphurbreath Troggoths had half a sentence written about them in a White Dwarf article and live in the crevices in volcanos. Deepwater Troggoths were mentioned in promotional material for the Idoneth Deepkin, most likely an oceanic breed, which were actually present in Warhammer Fantasy as Sea Trolls, also called "Shugons". The Mirebrute Troggoth is another swamp-dwelling species that has been cowed into servitude by the Kruleboyz Orruks, as is the Marshcrawla Sloggoth, which is forced onto all fours and adapts to be quicker, serving as a mount for the Grots who work for the Kruleboyz. The Angujakkak is a creature described as resembling a hybrid of Deepwater Troggoth and Mega-Squid.

Troggoths don’t really act as a unified group, no troll king barking orders or whatnot. Staying true to the classic "wild giant only here to fuck your shit up," Trogherds are formed when random groups of Troggoths just start to follow the lead of a bigger Troggoth, for no reason or goal other than to rampage. Even a Dankhold Troggboss only leads his "army" through some sort of poorly understood instinctive leadership or alpha quality, and most Troggbosses are too stupid to read, or even speak. This does not stop them from causing ridiculous amounts of destruction as they blunder through farmsteads, homes, villages, or even cities as the leader picks a direction and just starts walking, with a dozen or two other species of Troggoths following him close behind. Apparently they also have their own afterlife, the Droogrind.

===Gitmob Grots===
The vanilla/plain Goblins of Fantasy existed in AoS first edition, comprised of all the regular gobbos, wolf riders, and war machines. They were phased out rather quickly and left in obscurity, with only passing mentions in the lore. These nomadic raiders worship the light of Hysh, which they refer to as Glareface Frazzlegit. It wasn’t until the [[Warhammer Underworlds]] warband “Rippa’s Snarlfangs” was released that we got a ''little'' more info on the Gitmobbers.

Gitmob Grots live and die on Snarlfangs, large wolves native to Ghur and Hysh whose venomous saliva and relentless endurance made them perfect mounts for the natural pack-mentality of the Gitmob. Snarlfangs are kidnapped and raised as pups by the greenskins, instilling a tenuous bond between mount and rider. This doesn’t stop the lupine beasts from mauling their grot riders should they sense vulnerability however. Snarlfangs are revered by the rest of the Gloomspite Gitz (to an extent) for a sixth sense that lets them know where the Bad Moon will appear. Barring this, there is little cooperation between the Gitmob and Moonclan. Only recently, thanks to Skragrott’s smooth talking, was a truce called between the grot clans and now scouting packs of Snarlfangs have popped up in the Gloomspite hordes.

Gitmobbers have a bit of inspiration from the Hobgoblins of Fantasy, given their emphasis on backstabbery, hit and run tactics, and how their veteran warriors are known for the copious scars and wounds between the shoulder blades. Rippa Narkbad, the grot leader from Underworlds was noted for being kicked from his tribe not because he tried to kill the reigning Gitboss, but because he failed to do so and got caught.

The Gitmob Grots are at odds with the rest of the Gloomspite Gitz due to their differing religious views: they worship Glareface Frazzlegit, perhaps as "The Evil Sun" to match with "The Bad Moon" (using Ork Klan names as minor Destruction gods). This basically makes these sun-worshipping Snarlfang-riders the equivalent of Satanic Motorcycle Gangs to the rest of the sun-hating Gloomspite Gitz, seen as idiots at best and traitors at worst. It's no small feat Skragrott was able to get them to unite with the rest of Grot-kind again.

==Notable Gloomspite Hordes==
*'''Da King’s Gitz''': Also called Skragrott’s Konkererz, these grots are the Loonking’s personal horde that led the invasion of Chamon. Following Skragrott are the High Gobbapalooza, which includes The Mighty Mezmerizmo and Curdlegore the Arch-Spiker. The ‘Eavies are a quintet of Dankhold Troggbosses who usually guard the entrance of the fungal asylum, but are more than happy to smash heads for the Loonking. The bulk of the army is made up of two Moonclan skraps, both groups constantly vying for Skragrott’s favor. Other detachments include the Badgob Batterers (Squigalanche), Warrblag’s Lurkers (Spiderfang Stalktribe), and the Lumberstomp Brothers (three Aleguzzler Gargants). The various underbosses of Da King’s Gitz are notoriously braggadocios thanks to their close ties to the Loonking, though it can very easily be a curse since Skragrott doesn’t take kindly to failures in his inner circle.

*'''Waaagh!Zigsnak''': Led by a particularly influential Fungoid Cave Shaman, this horde also included the likes of orruks and ogors, a feat unheard of among most Grots. With this massive collection of belligerents, Zigsnak won many a fight. Until the Waaagh! collided with a Khorne Goretide, and after a brutal eight day battle, the shaman’s head was claimed by Korghos Khul, and the Waaagh! was soundly butchered. This conflict has since been known as Zigsnak’s Folly, and is regarded by the Gloomspite Gitz as a cautionary warning. Specifically, "Don't fuck with Khorne".
** This also serves as a retcon for the absence of surface dwelling grots, as most grots fully committed to the underground life after this event, with only small remnants surviving in the wilderness like the Gitmob Grots.

*'''Claggit’s Smotherers''': Loonboss Claggit, the “Grand Smotherdouser”, has a burning hatred for fire and has devoted his entire tribe to extinguishing all flames they find. Considering they make their lurklairs in the Kindling Forests of Aqshy, they are considerably busy fighting Fyreslayer lodges, Tzeentchian cabals, and the Clans Skryre. A favored tactic of the horde is to employ large mobs of Fellwater Troggoths, who vomit all over the fires of their obsession. The grots wear dark green and grey robes, made to blend into the clouds of smoke and ash they create.

*'''The Badsnatchers''': You know that one idea where if you yell something loud enough people will believe it’s true? That’s kind of the story of the Badsnatchers in a nutshell. The horde’s leader, Ogwotz Da Magnificent, has proudly claimed to have covered all of Ulgu in the Everdank. This is very likely false given the nature of the realm of shadow, but none dare argue with the grots, who have become a special breed of arrogant braggarts who regularly pillage the surface world, confident that the Bad Moon is watching over them. They operate out of seven large lurklairs all situated in the Hushed Hills, all of which they claimed through trickery and conning their fellow greenskins rather than pure conquest. The Badsnatchers have an affinity for magic users, having a large number of Shamans that can tap into the shadowy magic of their home realm to cause panic with horrific illusions.

*'''The Scurrowstabberz''': Another Ulgu tribe, these grots are earnest allies to the Frazzleshun stalktribes in Hysh. Using realmgates, they trade refined realmstone for spider riders and arachnarok venom.

*'''Zarbag’s Gitz''': Through one way or another, the Madcap Shaman Zarbag and his personal crew ended up in the mysterious Nightvault hidden away beneath the city of Shadespire. Oh well, time to pillage and plunder!

*'''Grinkrak’s Looncourt''': A sly Loonboss named Grinkrak the Great discovered a massive mushroom and called it Da Stinkhorn. He placed himself in charge of this giant fungus’ defense and began recruiting a “court of guardians” to defend it, each of whom he bestows a knightly tithe upon with a whack from his Bossin’ Baton.

*'''Da Moon City Murderboyz''': A Kharadron Sky-Port called Barak Khazzar made the fatal mistake of trying to reclaim a lost hold from the Grots. Unfortunately this backfired spectacuraly with the grots using their stolen ships to invade the city itself and with the help of an armada of Grotbag Scuttlers overran the Sky-port. Now their precious city is controlled by the Gitz and renamed to Da Moon City, where they also create cyborg squigs that they sell to other Gloomspite hordes.
**We can only hope this gets expanded on more because this could be the perfect backdrop for a specialist game.

*'''Narkleg’s Backstabbas''': A Chamon horde who migrated into the Glinting Deeps during the early years of the Age of Chaos. Their lurklair of Stabb Hole quickly expanded due to an ever expanding Grot populace and their new Troggoth allies. They mistakingly burrow into the magmaholds of the Sigyorn Lodge, resulting in endless territorial warfare between the Greenskins and Fyreslayers.

*'''Boomsplatta''': As their name suggests, this tribe has a proclivity for explosive fungi and dropping said fungi onto their enemies. These tactics were implemented and perfected by their Loonboss Wyngle.

*'''The Undersnapperz''': A Moonclan Skrap from Ghur noted to work alongside the Gargants of the [[Sons of Behemat|Rhondol Stomp]].

*'''The Jaws of Mork''': A gargantuan and inexorable Squigalanche that rumbles through [[Ghyran]] chasing after the Bad Moon. Their leader is the masked Overbounder, a mysterious Grot who never lets his skin show. His reason? He wants to be “in cognee toes” so he can sneak up on the Bad Moon and bounce right over it. The real question is how he plans to do so when his miles wide horde creates tremors that can be heard across the realm. The Overbounder rides on a pair of Mangler Squigs named Gobbit and Chompa. The Jaws lack any uniform heraldry or unifying symbols as the living avalanche of Squigs is always attracting smaller hordes that will drop everything they’re doing just to keep up with them.

*'''Frazzleshun''': Dwelling in the Crackenmaw Chasm in the Realm of Light are swarms of spiderfang grots who spurn the shining radiance of their realm. Through their trade agreements with the Scurrowstabberz, they have crafted special shadow-silk webbings that they regularly use to block out the light and launch massive attacks with their venomous hordes against the [[Lumineth Realm Lords|native aelves]]. The tribe is led by a shrewd committee of shamans known as the Spider’s Eyes.

*'''Glintfang''': By feeding their spiders bits and bobs of metal, the Glintfang stalktribes create steel-silk, which is basically metal cabling. These wires are used to create anything from false jewelry to parachutes for dive bombing hapless foes.

*'''The Grimscuttle Tribes''': Also called the “Deff Grotz”, these Shyish stalktribes lurk in the haunted forests just outside of Nulahmia. They make sure to avoid [[Neferata]]’s wrath by only making the occasional raids of the lonesome human settlements that sit on the outskirts of her territory. This still doesn’t stop them from working with (then promptly backstabbing) the various Chaos Lords who seek to penetrate the Mortarch of Blood’s defenses. All the Grimscuttle Tribes are bloated with Skitterstrand Arachnaroks that flocked to the grots after the Webspinner Shamans attempted to open a realmgate to the Evercrawl, proving you can in fact fail upwards. The largest of these Arachnaroks is named Boss Seven-Eyes, who recently ate a bunch of vampires for some deathly ritual.

*'''Murkthudd’s Troggherd''': Murkthudd was a Troggboss of spectacular size and stupidity, and one day he decided to go for a walk. When he emerged from underneath the Domtanguan Mountains, he was followed by two dozen various Troggoths and a horde of Squigs. They wrecked havoc throughput the settlements surrounding the Ferrus Sea, regularly clashing with Freeguild and Stormcast regiments. Eventually they tore through the city of Azyrvale and marched right off the pier and into the sea. What became of them is unclear, though rumors persist that Murkthudd is still walking at the bottom of the sea to this day.

*'''Mollog’s Mob''': The ancient pygmy Dankhold Troggoth called Mollog only wants to find a quiet place to sleep. Unfortunately for him, a group of tunneling Skaven woke him up and ruined his cozy hideout. Now he wanders through Shadespire to find a new hole to crawl in and sleep. He’s followed by a collection of various cave critters, all of whom are fiercely protective of their master.

*'''Glogg’s Megamob''': This colossal nomadic Trogghorde is among the most feared of Gloomspite armies for their seemingly endless energy and appetite for violence. An attack by the Megamob is signaled by a horrible grinding noise that echoes for miles around. This noise originates from the sneering Loonshrines that the Troggoths drag with them wherever they go. The leader of this monstrous gathering is the monosyllabic Glogg, a regenerating mass of scarred flesh and an Ogor-like hunger. He’s followed by two bodyguards (and possible brothers) Blogg and Clogg, and a Troggoth Hag named Big Mudda, who has taken an...''interest'' in Glogg’s exploits. They made an appearance in “Broken Realms: Kragnos” as a glorified meat shield for Gordrakk’s Waaagh, and Glogg was seemingly killed while fighting an entire Freeguild regiment. He got better though, since it’s stupid impossible to kill a Trogboss for good.

*'''The Stoical Gobblemaws''': Located in the Stoical Vast of Ymetrica in the Realm of Light, these half-blind Troggoths are loathed as a constant threat to the [[Lumineth Realm-Lords]] of that continent. They regularly chew and chomp their way through their cavernous home, destabilizing the mountain range and upsetting the bull-headed earth spirits that call it home. So naturally the Alarith temples regularly clash with the teeming hordes of Rockgut Troggs and their Dankhold Boss Gorp, who only appears when the Bad Moon rises over the Stoical Vast. Each time his goal is always the same; rampage his way to the tallest peak Tjenaka and “consuming its heart”...whatever that means. He’s been beaten back by the Aelves countless times, but like [[Abbadon|Abby]] in 40k, he keeps coming back.

==List of Known Fungi used by the Gitz==

*''Badloon Bossfungus'': An extremely rare mushroom known for its crescent moon shape that is revered as a sign of the Bad Moon’s favor. This particular fungus grows on the top of Skragrott’s staff.

*''Bitterspurts'': Pale blue shrooms found exclusively in Moonclan dung heaps. Used to brew “urgeblurt poison”, a toxin so revolting that it causes victims to vomit their guts up in agony.

*''Blue Gorkshroom and Green Morkshroom'': Tall stringy like fungus that regularly “war” over territory in the darkest depths of the Gloomspite tunnels. Both are harvested by shamans to be mashed together, creating an hallucinogenic paste.

*''Deffcap Mushroom'': A magical and addictive shroom eaten by Fungoid-Cave Shamans to increase their spell output. Grows only on the rotting flesh of mass graves of grots. Causes powerful brain-wracking hallucinations that are invariably prophetic in nature and often reveal the will of Gorkamorka 'imself, if you can survive the ten to twenty hour acid trip it involves. There’s a crimson variant of the Deffcap that’s harvested by Squigbosses that makes squiggly beasts quite hyperactive.

*''Dincap Mushroom'': A dark purple fungus that, when ingested, causes a person’s lungs to vibrate and turns their voice into a microphone. Though the effects are temporary, they do last for a while so be sure not to say anything secretive while under its effect.

*''Glowey Morkeye'': Small light blue mushrooms that emit an eerie bioluminescence which is used by Grots to navigate their pitch black tunnels.

*''Grey Spattlethwapper'': Glowing spheres attached to thin stalks. A highly volatile fungus which erupts into a cloud of madness-inducing spores upon even the slightest of contact.

*''Looncap Mushroom'': A rare fungi that only grows in the light of the Bad Moon. While it can grow virtually anywhere, it has a habit of sprouting out of the heads/backs of living creatures. They are harvested by Sneaky Snuffler teams who then use them on fellow Moonclan Grots (or Squigs who can’t resist chasing after these little treats) to “enhance” their fighting prowess. Also refined in a magic potion and force-fed to the unlucky sods chosen to become Fanatics of either the Loonsmasha or Sporesplatta variety.

*''Madcap Mushroom'': A magic-enhancing shroom used by Madcap Shamans. Not to be confused with the similarly named Madcap Toadstool, despite looking, smelling, and tasting identical to the impossibly toxic 'shroom.

*''Madcap Toadstool'': A deathly toxic fungus often confused with Madcap Mushrooms. It looks, smells, and tastes identical to the powerful Madcap Mushroom... at least until the poor idiot who ate it dies horribly from cramps so strong their organs implode.

*''Puffgut-Balls and Hopsplatter Fungus'': These fungi are fed to Squigs to make them incredibly springy, creating Squig Hoppers and Boingrot Bounders. As a side effect, it also makes them even more irritable than the stock Squig.

*''Redcap Mushroom'': Likely colored as their name implies, this fungus is primarily used by Loonbosses who ride upon Squigs. Ingesting then mushroom makes them much more aggressive in combat. A secondary use was discovered by Loonboss Brikkit of Brikkit’s Backstabbas; when fed to Troggoths, the redcap mushroom boosts their regeneration abilities.

*''Scaldyscratch Spores'': A fine powder like substance that Loonbosses often use to blind their enemies, creating a painful burning sensation that only worsens as they try to claw their eyes out.

*''Squig Eggs'': Small spherical growths found in clusters near Squig dens. Not actually connected to the squiggly beasts’ reproductive cycle.

*''Stinkcranny Fungi'': A foul smelling violet fungus harvested for usage in various poisons. Usually it’s avoided by Grots and Squigs alike because of its horrendous odor.

*''Stragglenekk Fungus'': These stalactite-like mushrooms grow around the entrances and ceilings of Moonclan lurklairs and display an almost predatory nature that causes them to slowly coil around and consume any one who runs into them.

*''Twackweezer Puffshroom'': A pale fungus that releases lung-clogging spores upon the slightest contact. Thwackweezers grow quickly and silently in inconvenient places, such as under grots pillows or just behind their bathroom door and spray a foul spore filled gas that drives grots into a tooth-gnashing frenzy and everything else into coughing fits. Of course, grots being the vindictive little shitheads they are, they use them as "hilarious" pranks. Then some enterprising (and very insane) grit decided to replace a Fanatic's metal ball with a Thwackweezer, and after a few messy test runs and about a dozen dead volunteers, the Sporesplatta fanatic was born, which swings the heavy and solid fungus in a chain to generate a cloud of obscuring spores and drive nearby grots into a battle frenzy.

*''Yellow Lurka and Sproutin’ Moon'': These two varieties of mushroom are collected by the mycophilic Squigbosses and fed to their Squig charges to amplify their combat capabilities.

==Soulbound==
Now, few people would look at a Grot or a Troggoth and think "hero" - even amongst the races of Destruction. But they have their place. Destruction Bindings traditionally relied on Grots to be the brains of the group, and though this position has been threatened since the [[Kruleboyz]] revealed themselves, this has only galvanized the Gitz to prove themselves harder. Moonclans believe they are called by the Bad Moon, and Spiderclans by the Spider God, but in the end, they're all part of the same WAAAGH!

But there are Gitz who get Soulbound to the races of Order and/or Death, too. Troggoths, well, who can say why they do ''anything'', but as for Grots... well, let's not kid ourselves: usually, a Grot does it because the choice was either serve Order, or experience an unsavoury demise, and any Grot worthy of the name has a very strong attachment to the integrity of their skin. But not every Grot was forced to join; some actually made a proactive step to prove themselves worthy of the Binding, usually by being more eager to go after Chaos, Death or rival Destruction forces than the forces of Order. And, after all, more than any other faction of Destruction, the Gloomspite Gitz have a penchant for surprising others with their actions.

As for what a Grot thinks about being spiritually linked with non-Grots? Well, aside from the confusing rules about who is okay to stab and when it's okay to stab, Grots actually find it tends to be pretty nice hanging out with Order types. No beatings on a whim, for example. Sure, they remain mischief-loving little monsters, but a good Binding learns to appreciate and utilize their natural flair for being wildcards, and even a Grot can understand the idea that not all mischief has to be fatal, for instance, as the Binding is performing mighty heroics, someone has to take the liberty to rob the enemy war camp and pay chest blind and Grots are excellent at happening to coincide upon such hauls.

Gloomspite Git Soulbound typically hail from the following factions:
* '''The Badsnatchers:''' Having claimed a territory in the Hushed Hills of Ulgu, the Badsnatchers are a Moonclan who believe they have found their race's paradise - the Everdank, a land free of the touch of Glareface Frazzlegit (the sun). Badsnatcher Soulbound typically either join a Binding because they see it as the ultimate trophy to enhance their power and prestige, or because they have realized that Ogwotz is lying about having brought on the Everdank. Heroes of the Badsnatchers get "Spite Makes Right", providing the Trophy Taker talent to all archetypes as well as a free piece of common or rare gear. In addition, they can make called shots without making it any more difficult.
* '''Claggit's Smotherers:''' This Moonclan has expanded their theology to denounce fire as the emissary of the sun. So of course they've decided the best place to live is beneath the eternally burning Kindling Forests of Aqshy, where they battle endlessly to extinguish the flames. This pyrophobia complicates their relationship with non-Destruction Soulbound - the very concept of "Soulfire" makes many of Claggit's grots get twitchy - but it's not unheard of for them to find common cause after agreeing that the baleful warpflame of Chaos is evil and regular fires are good - or at least, harmless. Heroes from Claggit's Smotherers are "Eternally Moist", which halves Fire damage and lets them do Double Damage to creatures with an affinity for fire.
* '''Frazzleshun:''' This most unfortunate Skittermob made the mistake of trying to live in Hysh, specifically in the Crackenmaw Chasm, home to a realmgate to Ulgu and the single darkest place in the Realm of Light. Obviously, most Frazzleshun grots accept a place in a Binding just to be able to '''leave''' this hellish place behind once and for all, and couldn't give a damn about who they fight alongside with or why. A few, weirdly patriotic for their kind, instead seek out Ulgan realmstone, or some way to dim the eternal light of Hysh. Heroes from the Frazzleshun gain "Bringers of Darknetz", letting them start with a free Shadowsilk Net and add Vanish as a talent to all archetypes. They can see clearly in both Lightly Obscured and Heavily Obscured Zones and can Seize the Initiative as a free action in such zones.
* '''Glintfang:''' Native to Chamon, where they feed their spiders metal and use the resultant silk to sail through the air, this Skittermob lives for two things: seeing cool new sights, and pinching anything they can get their hands on. For this reason, they love to become Soulbound, so they have an excuse to go on fascinating new journeys. Heroes from the Glintfang gain "Grabbin' Gubbinz", starting play with a free Steelsilk Parachute, and gain Sleight of Hand as a talent for all archetypes. They double Dexterity and Stealth when testing to steal all sorts of shiny stuff.
* '''Grimscuttle:''' This Skittermob inhabits the Evercrawl in Shyish, a place they believe to be the residence of the Spider God and the afterlife of all arachnaroks. As such, they are some of the most frequently chosen Spiderclan Soulbound, and always, they believe, to work the will of the Evercrawl. Heroes from the Grimscuttle gain "Deffly Traps", which gives them the Blessed (Spider God) talent for all archetypes. They can also spend ten minutes to create a Major Hazard in a zone, trapping unlucky victims in spider webs that Restrain enemies.
* '''The Jaws of Mork:''' Consisting entirely of squig-riders obsessed with either jumping over or biting the Bad Moon, this Moonclan hails from the Yskian Veldt in Ghyran. Content to let destiny (and the beserker squigs they ride) take them where they will, they regard becoming Soulbound as just another fact of life. Heroes from the Jaws of Mork have the "Yskian Bounder", providing the Loyal Companion (Cave Squig) talent to all archetypes. If they take this talent, their Cave Squig grows to Large size and if it ever dies, a clone will grow from its corpse over the period of a Rest.

The archetypes available to Grots are the '''Boingrot Bounder''', '''Fungoid Cave Shaman''', '''Loonboss''', '''Spider Rider''', '''Web-Spinner Shaman''' and '''Wise-Grot'''. Troggoths have their own archetypes to pick from, the '''Fellwater Troggoth''' and '''Rockgut Troggoth'''.

==See Also==
*[[Age of Sigmar/Tactics/Destruction/Gloomspite Gitz|Tactics/Gloomspite Gitz]]
*[[Gloomspite Horde Creation Tables]]

{{Playable Factions in Warhammer: Age of Sigmar}}
[[Category:Age of Sigmar]]

Fyreslayers

2023-06-08T10:55:34Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:18A6:2995:A2DF:E9FE:

{{Age of Sigmar Faction|Faction=Fyreslayers|Logo=Fyreslayer-Magmadroth-art1.jpeg|Alliance=Order|Motto=Blood and gold!}}

{{Topquote|Money is both the generation and corruption of purchased honor; honor is both the child and slave of potent money; the credit which honor hath lost, money hath found. When honor grew mercenary, money grew honorable. The way to be truly noble is to contemn both.|Francis Quarles}}

The Fyreslayers are the Duardin followers of [[Grimnir]]. They scour the realms for their precious Ur-Gold, which is also the scattered fragments of Grimnir’s corpse combined with the molten blood of a giant magma lizard godbeast. Because of this, they’re a lot more mercenary-like than their [[Slayer|forbearers]] in the Old World. They were initially less-than-liked when they were first released (due to both their large orange mohawks and stark difference to the slayers of old), but have since then been ''grudgingly'' accepted, because what is more [[awesome]] than musclebound bearded Chads riding giant fire lizards and fighting in thongs? Not much.

==History==
===Age of Myth===
According to Fyreslayer myth, they originated as the mortal descendants of Grimnir. During this time, Grimnir directly dwelled among his worshippers, but this state of affairs would not last for long. Grimnir and his brother god [[Grungni]] were imprisoned in the event known as the Thagduegi, or Great Betrayal, the exact nature of which has long since been forgotten. This was until [[Sigmar]] came to rescue them, and in exchange Grimnir demanded to repay the favor immediately. Sigmar decided to have Grimnir slay the powerful salamander Godbeast Vulcatrix. The epic duel between Vulcatrix and Grimnir ended in their mutual destruction, in a colossal explosion that turned the Hills of Aqshy into the Plains of Aqshy and scatter their remains across the world, where they would turn into gold and the eggs of Magmadroths.

[[File:Grimnir vs Vulcatrix.jpg|thumb|center|600px|The final moments of Grimnir and Vulcatrix.]]

The worshippers of Grimnir immediately began gathering the gold (which they called Ur-Gold) as sacred relics. Although they initially attempted to create enchanted weapons out of the substance, they quickly discovered the best way to tap into the true power of Ur-Gold was to forge into runes and painfully hammer it into their bodies, granting them superdwarfen strength and toughness. However, to those not of the Fyreslayer priesthood Ur-Gold and regular gold is indistinguishable. Thus, the Fyreslayers quickly became a culture of mercenaries, the only way to find their precious Ur-Gold being to sift through plenty of the regular kind.

===Age of Chaos===
During the Age of Chaos, the Fyreslayers were one of the few non-Chaos worshipping cultures that thrived. Even as the other Duardins were driven out of their Karaks, the Fyreslayers' warrior culture (and the superior defenses one has when you build a fortress inside active volcanos) allowed them to avoid being conquered (despite regular confrontations with Skaven and the Gloomspite Gitz) During this time, the Fyreslayers were often hired as mercenaries by those wishing to defend themselves from the Chaos hordes, but almost as often were hired by the Chaos hordes themselves. This combined with their isolationism meant that although they had many customers, they had few true allies.

===Age of Sigmar===
When the Age of Sigmar began during the Realmgate Wars, many Fyreslayers quickly became allies with the Stormcast Eternals, being one of the few major Order-aligned powers who weren't limited to Azyr nor in hiding. After the founding of the Free Cities, the Fyreslayers became more connected to the outside world, often setting up local branches within these cities.

===Soul Wars===
The Necroquake would prove to be a tough time for the Fyreslayers, however. The repeated failed sieges during the Age of Chaos meant the outside of many Magmaholds were mass-graves, ripe to be resurrected as undead armies, and the lava-moats and walls that protected them didn't do a good job of stopping Nighthaunts that are flying and intangiable. Thankfully [[Teclis]] has put a stop to this.

===Era of Beasts===
Grungni's return to the public eye has been controversial among Fyreslayers, some respecting him for being a kin of Grimnir and others seeing him as a coward and a traitor for not fighting during the Age of Chaos. In addition, the prospect of Duardin reunification Grungni promotes is itself controversial, many Fyreslayers looking down on the Kharadron Overlords for their atheism and wanting no relationship between them beyond business, whilst the Kharadron see the Fyreslayers as backwards rustic nut jobs so lost in their zealotry to obtain Ur Gold and bring back Grimnir that they were willing to sometimes work with Chaos, something even the opportunistic Kharadron would rather die than undertake given their society's origins in the Age of Chaos.

Despite this political divide, the Era of the Beast has proven to be a profitable one for the Fyreslayers, as the many Dawnbringer Crusades being launched have plennty of need of mercenaries to protect them, all the better if they seek to settle in a land rich with Ur-Gold.

==Ur-Gold==

Ur-Gold was created when Grimnir's firey spirit fused with Vulcatrix's metal blood during their simultaneous death, and upon being spread across the realms this combined essence sunk underground until it merged with hidden veins of gold. The Fyreslayers believe that somewhere around five in every hundred parts of gold is Ur-Gold. Only the Zharrgrim priesthood is able to reliably tell Ur-Gold apart from regular gold, and even they have trouble explaining the differences. Although some may cite strange sheens or an invigorating smells, it really comes down to a kind of gut instinct on their part.

The exact abilities given by Ur-Gold depends on what type of rune its made into. On tabletop, this manifests in six different buffs that can be applied to your Fyreslayer army depending on what rune they activate that turn. The Soulbound RPG allows you to go more granular with this, and gives you a choice of nineteen seperate runes to choose from to customize your character. Ur-Gold runes remain dormant until activated in battle, and a typical sign of them being activated is the Fyreslayer emitting smoke or sparks from his body.

Some Fyreslayers get addicted to the feeling of power and divinity they gain from releasing the power of Ur-Gold. This condition is called the Glimmerlust, and the Zharrgrim priesthood take great efforts to ensure this does not become a problem by carefully rationing the supply of runes. Still, it is not unknown for some to fall entirely to Glimmerlust and become Doomvarags, madmen who slaughter their kin in order to take runes from their corpses.

In addition, due to Ur-Gold containing Vulcatrix's essence in addition to Grimnir's, the Zharrgrim priesthood have absorbed some of his elemental power from their constant handling of Ur-Gold, resulting in them developing abilities to manipulate fire and magma. This power was boosted further by the Necroquake, allowing the summoning of lava constructs known as Magmic Invocations. The most notable of these invocations are the Magmic Battleforges, forges that the Zharrgrim priesthood can summon from the earth. In addition to being used as a convenient way to craft runes and cremate the dead when far away from the Lodge, they can also empower the Ur-Gold runes of those fighting nearby.

==Culture==
Fyreslayers are a warrior culture, and every male Fyreslayer is expected to serve in battle. While Fyreslayers may be miners or blacksmiths while they aren't fighting, these occupations have the sole purpose of supplying their armies with resources. Women are exempt from this, due to being much rarer than the men and thus too valuable to risk in battle, leading to the common misconception amongst outsiders that they have no women at all. Although, it has been mentioned in various stories that women fulfill other roles within the lodge, such as being Brew Matrons, brewing rather strong and fiery ale and grog that is said to be difficult for anyone who isn't a Fyreslayer to even swallow. Of course, there have been exceptions to the rule, with the occasional Runemother rising to take charge of a lodge.

The gathering of Ur-Gold is seen as the highest religious pursuit. It is believed that when the power of Ur-Gold runes are exhausted, the energy escapes to where it will eventually coalesce back into Grimnir. As such, acquiring gold at any cost is seen as a necessary evil to allow the eventual reincarnation of their deity, and the use of runes in battle is seen as the highest form of prayer. Most outsiders don't know this secret, assuming Fyreslayers are just incredibly greedy and obsessive, since the Fyreslayers keep this information tightly guarded for fear that others will try to steal Grimnir's power for themselves. That said, the stereotype exists for a reason and some Fyreslayers really are obsessively greedy, while other Lodges are well aware of the assumptions outsiders place on their gold gathering and deliberately use it as a cover to hide their true intentions. For the gathering of Ur Gold is no mere monetary endeavor, but a religious undertaking of the highest priority, making nearly all other ethical or moral concerns secondary.

Fyreslayers are divided into clans known as lodges. At the top is the Runefather, patriarch of the lodge, and directly below him are the Runesons, his many children who compete with each-other in hopes of proving themselves a worthy heir. A Runefather will typically have a dozen or so children over his lifetime, though the especially fertile Runefather of the Vostarg lodge has sired over fifty Runesons. Only one Runeson may inherit the title of Runefather, though there are many cases of Runesons splitting off with their supporters to become Runefathers of their own lodges. The badge of office of the Runefather is the latchkey grandaxe, a weapon that also serves as the key to the central Ur-Gold magmavault. Upon ascending to the rank of Runefather, it is customary for said Guardian to take up the surname of Grimnir alongside their birth name, marking them out as carrying on the sacred lineage of their deity (eg. Bael-Grimnir, Runefather of the Vostarg Lodge). The bodyguards of the Runefather, his Runesons and other family members are the Hearthguard Berzerkers, the elite of the Fyreslayers.

[[File:FyreslayerFuneral.jpg|thumb|right|500px|They are big on ceremony]]

Ur-Gold is handled by the Zharrgrim Priesthood, the religious caste of the Fyreslayers. Although having a dozen different ranks, the only ones elaborated in the tabletop are the Auric Runemaster, head of the priesthood and crafter of the Ur-Gold runes, and the Auric Runesmiters, who are in charge of the rituals of hammering said runes into the Fyreslayers. Ur-Gold has an addictive quality, and putting too many runes into one duardin can kill them, so the Zharrgrim priests have the important role of making sure every Fyreslayer has his fair share but doesn't take more than he can handle. In addition, the Zharrgrim Priesthood are also in charge of filtering out Ur-Gold from the regular gold. Lastly, there is the Auric Flamekeepers, whose main task is to oversee the funerary rites of the Lodge (which of course involves cremation), as well the [[Apothecary|extraction of Ur Gold runes from the fallen]]. Zharrgrim who do not appear on the tabletop include the Klinkin (who maintain the furnaces), the Voldrini (who use their magmic powers to carve tunnels) and the Drothnim (who raise Magmadroths from eggs). These guys are guarded by the Auric Hearthguard, who also have the job of guarding the main magma-vault that contains the Lodge's Ur-Gold hoard.

Two units exist outside of the hierarchy of the Fyreslayers: the Doomseekers and Grimwrath Berzerkers. Doomseekers are essentially oldschool Dwarf Slayers, warriors who seek to die in battle to atone for some shame. They tend to spend most of their time wandering in exile, but often ally with any nearby Fyreslayers in exchange for some fresh new Ur-Gold runes. Grimwrath Berzerkers are the greatest warriors of the Fyreslayers, having dozens of runes implanted into them, but the process of doing so tends to drive them quite mad and thus they aren't seen as fit to take command. Their axes are apparently so powerful that anybody who isn't a Grimwrath will die if they try to use them, unless you're [[Gotrek & Felix|Gotrek]], who uses one even before having an Ur-Gold rune implanted in him because he's fucking Gotrek.

===Notable Lodges===
*'''Vostarg Lodge''': The largest and wealthiest of the lodges, and the only ones that still bear the name of one of the OG lodges formed in the time of Grimnir. Technically has two Runefathers, as Fjul-Grimnir (great-grandfather of the current Runefather) abandoned his post to go to [[Warhammer Underworlds|Shadespire]], where the curse there has prevented him from dying. Part of the pro-Grungni faction of Fyreslayers.

*'''Greyfyrd Lodge''': The most mercenary out of all the mercenaries, the Greyfyrd lodge are constantly at war to the point where they no longer even bother to mine. Their unscrupulous nature means they're the ones most likely to be hired by non-Order factions. They reside in [[Chamon]] within the Gateswold realm nexus, a cluster of Realmgates that allow the Greyfyrd easy access to other Realms, and more importantly, ever more contracts. Guess their businesses are dying now thanks to [[Be'lakor]].

*'''Hermdar Lodge''': This lodge is known for providing their services for cheap and even doing pro-bono work to liberate the oppressed. While this makes them [[This Guy]], the other lodges despise them and think of them as undercutters. After losing their Magmahold, Runefather and all his sons to the forces of Chaos, the survivors elected a new leader. Against the odds, they took back their home, swearing to never sit idly by while the forces of Chaos ravage the lands. Part of the pro-Grungni faction of the Fyreslayers.

*'''Lofnir Lodge''': These pyromaniacs from Ghur worship Vulcatrix and Grimnir equally, and as such have the most Magmadroths. This trait has earned them much suspicion from other Lodges, which has turned them into bitter isolationists who are perhaps the most openly opposed to Grugni's reunification efforts.

*'''Unbak Lodge''': Residing in the Salamander’s Spine, this lodge is among the oldest and most skilled in rune-crafting. Though it is best known for being ground zero for Gotrek Gurnisson’s arrival in the Mortal Realms. This lodge has refused to swear loyalty to Sigmar's forces and has even been heavily implied to have sided with Chaos in the past, causing the Order of Azyr to send forces, specifically Gotrek's travel companion Maleneth, to steal their Master Rune and making Gotrek incredibly disgusted with their shameful lack of honour.

*'''Tangrim Lodge''': After the gates of Azyr reopened, these duardin quickly set up shop in the Realm of Heavens, working exclusively with the forces of Order, the Stormcast Eternals specifically. Additionally, they dye parts of their beards white to symbolize their alliance to Sigmar.

*'''Gelvagd Lodge''': A more traditional warrior group residing in Azyrheim. Stoic and vindictive, they maintain [[Book of Grudges|a record of all transgressions]] made against the Lodge in metal tablets, which are then cast into a lava moat when the grudge is settled. They hire themselves out to travelers setting out from the city. One of the Fyreslayer lodges known to oppose Grungni.

*'''Volturung Lodge''': The first Fyreslayers to ally with the Stormcast Eternals, they live in a mountain they’ve carved to look like Grimnir’s face and claim direct descent from the original Lodges.

*'''Sigyorn Lodge''': Warriors from the Forge Cities of Chamon, these duardin bear red tattoos all across their bodies and often sell their axes to Freeguild and Kharadron armies.

*'''Ulrung Lodge''': A wandering lodge who lost their original Shyish forges many years ago to the legions of Death. They are grim and fatalistic, marking their beards white with the ashes of their fallen brothers ala Kratos.

*'''Baeldrag Lodge''': An offshoot of the Vostarg Lodge, they live in Ghyran and devote themselves entirely to destroying the Skaven after two of their eldest Runesons were mutated together into a horrific monster.

*'''Thungur Lodge''': These Hysh duardin have waged war with the [[Lumineth Realm Lords|native Aelves of the region]] and carry more than a few strange traditions, such as covering each other in gold dust which causes them to burst into flames at the behest of their Runesmitters. They have the unusual practice of forging their Ur-Gold using beams projected through crystal lenses rather than using forge fire. Also notably the only Fyreslayer Lodge confirmed to be ruled by a Runemother, the Fyrequeen Maegrym.

*'''Caengan Lodge''': A subtler Lodge from Ulgu, this Lodge is infamous for sacking the entire kingdom of their former allies following the latter’s refusal to give compensation. They have learned a number of shadowy tricks in order to survive in the treacherous and unpredictable landscape of Ulgu.

*'''Varrukh Lodge''': A Fyreslayer Lodge from Chamon that went into a steep decline due to attacks from Idoneth Deepkin and its Runefather falling into madness. Gotrek showed up to whip them into shape by snapping their Runefather out of his funk and helping them reconquer their lost holdings. Unlike the Unbak, he actually ended up getting along with these guys quite well, even seeming to tolerate them calling him a prophet of Grimnir despite his disdain whenever Fyreslayers typically start worshipping him.

==Where da Fyreslayer Women at?==
{{topquote|I mean it Bael. This could be the one. Your true heir. I had a dream. Grimnir told me as much...|Grunhilda to Bael-Grimnir after giving birth to his daughter.}}

As with all [[dwarf]] races to come out of [[Games Workshop]], we don't know very much about the presence of their women. We know they ''exist'', and we know they have to be pretty fertile, since a Runefather can have ''dozens'' of sons, but that's pretty much the extent of canon information. Aside from this obvious implication that fyreslayer women are veritable [[Skaven|broodmothers]] compared to the dwarf women of the World-That-Was, they have appeared in very bit-part mentions in canon. One Fyreslayer battle report in [[White Dwarf]] has framing fiction of the Runefather interacting with his pregnant wife before he leaves to fight the battle, and the returning to find she's given birth to a daughter, which doesn't displease him.

It's possible that Fyreslayers have lost both the overabundance of males and cripplingly long gestation periods that made Malus dwarves a dying race, and it's purely cultural values that keeps their womenfolk largely out of sight and off of the battlefield.

There is a recent notable exception to the standard Patriarchal system to the Fyreslayers introduced in the 3rd edition battletome, however. The current Runefather of the Hermdar Lodge, Kalmar-Grimnir appointed his Runedaughter, Bruja Brightaxe, to be his heir, rather than what would traditionally be given to one of his older Runesons, making her the first potential canon Runemother in the setting. This choice was made primarily because of Brujas's savviness and diplomatic mind that help to maintain the worldview Hermdar maintains that differentiates itself from other lodges, mainly it's willingness to uphold oaths and contracts more on the basis of honor and justice, rather than on solely the relentless pursuit of Ur-Gold to restore Grimnir.

As well, the Runefather mentioned above whose wife gave birth to a daughter, Bael-Grimnir of the Vostarg Lodge, is known to be notoriously difficult to please. So much so that, despite having sired over FIFTY Runesons throughout his long life, he refused to name any of them as his heir. However, shortly after the Necroquake was unleashed, Bael's Hearthwife Grunhilda gave birth to a daughter, while also having a vision that this new Runedaughter would finally be the one worthy enough to inherit the rule of Vostarg.

==Soulbound==
In [[Age of Sigmar Roleplay]], Fyreslayers are noted as rare Soulbound compared to their [[Kharadron Overlords|Kharadron Overlord]] cousins, simply because of the insularity of the race - though it doesn't help that becoming a Soulbound means being sterilized, which is a pretty damn major thing in Fyreslayer society! Still, for whatever reasons - be it becoming a grimnyn ("fated wanderer", allowing one to swear a kill evil shit oath but be able to deem it fulfilled while living) or swearing the Oath of Doom (the classic Warhammer Fantasy Slayer oath, only ending in death), losing their lodge, being estranged from their lodge, or just being an oddball, there are Fyreslayers willing to swear even this most grievous and serious of pledges by undergoing the Rite of Binding. Normal Fyreslayers are uncertain of how to act around their Soulbound fellows; there is great honor and potentially great glory in the Soulbound's life, and yet suspicious that they would work for gods other than Grimnir... not to mention scandalous that often the Soulbound will actually do things for '''free'''! For this reason, Fyreslayer Soulbound tend to be the most likely to demand at least some token form of payment, for appearances sake. Doomseekers are probably the most accepted by ordinary Fyreslayers, as they are sworn to death in battle due to a failure or great shame already and being Soulbound would allow them to seek redemption more effectively.

The ''Champions of Order'' splatbook adds the following lodges for a Fyreslayer hero to hail from:
*'''Vostarg:''' One of the most legendary of lodges, but now tarnished as their last great runefather died and his various runesons broke off to travel the realms in search of glory. Modern Fyreslayers of this lodge seek to surpass the legendary deeds of their ancestors and seek greater glories. Heroes of Vostarg seek unity and cooperation amongst the Fyreslyers, and thus add a number of die equal to their training in Lore to any checks to foster such a unity (including any Entertain checks when using the Legendary Saga talent) and gain advantage against any opposed checks against Fyreslayers of other lodges.
*'''Greyfyrd:''' Feared as mercenaries, the slayers of this lodge seek nothing more than bloody conflict. Often, they will only take arms if their fees are met, though many will fight merely for the sake of fighting and for the glory that killing a certain enemy would entail. Heroes of Greyfyrd are exceptionally wealthy, having either extra reserves of Aqua Ghyranis or a certain rare item in their possession. In addition, they gain double the money if they undertake any endeavors to generate a profit.
*'''Lofnir:''' The members of this lodge revere Vulcatrix as part of a cycle of violence that the fallen Grimnir only completes. As such, they seek to both emulate the martial power of their gods as well as the fiery wrath of the mother of salamanders. Heroes of Lofnir are inured to the flames and thus suffer half the damage from any manner of fire. They also improve their defense by one step against Beasts.
*'''Tangrim:''' As befits those who settled on Azyr, the slayers of this lodge join forces to destroy the forces of Chaos and will join forces with others who share this belief, though other Fyreslayers view this sort of magnanimous behavior as foolish. That said, these warriors also have the hope that Grimnir will return again and seek to welcome him as allies of order. Heroes of Tangrim have the Sigmar's Judgment talent, as befits those who swore loyalty to both Grimnir and the god-king. Additionally, those with the Devoted (Grimnir) talent can also select miracles of Sigmar.
*'''Ulrung:''' As they reside in the realm of death, the Fyreslayers of this lodge are well-aware of the many perils that await them. Unfortunately, these perils are not merely foes they can cut through, and tragedies from within have dogged their steps as well. Even then, they fight to their dogged last, refusing even an inch of ground until their last breath. Heroes of Ulrung have the Ur-Gold Mastery talent, and the Old Enemy (Undead) talent is available to all archetypes.
*'''Thungur:''' As this lodge resides in Hysh, they make extensive use of Aetherquartz as well as their beloved Ur-Gold. Their forging process is also unique, using the light of many moons to forge their runes, leaving a golden dust and a pale shimmering rune that unsettles more unorthodox slayers. Heroes of Thungur add their training in Athletics and Weapon Skill when determining Initiative.

Fyreslayer archetypes available in the corebook consist of the '''Auric Runesmiter''', the '''Battlesmith''' and the '''Doomseeker'''. The ''Champions of Order'' supplement adds the '''Grimwrath Berzerker''' as an archetype.

==Gallery==

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