Sigmar

"In which the wolves, masters of the wild, seek to lay waste to men's domains, but are thwarted by a great warrior who forever watches over us."

- The Legend of Sigmar

Sigmar Heldenhammer (meaning Hammer of the Goblins in Old Reikspiel), known also as Sigmar Unberogen, is the eternal patron god of the Empire of Man, as well as its founder and principle war-god. Born over 2500 years ago to the to the Unberogen tribe, his coming having been heralded by the twin-tailed comet; Sigmar, alone of the chieftains of the 12 tribes, was possessed of a singular drive to put an end to the bloody tribal conflict that had riven his people apart. This was not a thing to be taken lightly, for the Thuringians and Teutogens raided the northern borders of the Unberogens, the Merogens their southern settlements. The Jutones and the Endals warred with each other over land, and the Norsii made prey of all men. While all the while, the Greenskins ravaged humanity from the East and the Beastmen raided from the forests. Nevertheless, through words and deeds, Sigmar brought the tribes together while casting aside those who defied him, and then with hammer and fury drove the enemies of mankind from his homeland. After Sigmar had completed the unification, he was coronated as Emperor by the Ar-Ulric himself, having been a deeply devout Ulrican in mortal life. For 50 years did Sigmar reign over his Empire: a golden age that was just, fair and prosperous; but still it was one fraught with peril and difficulty -- the invasions of Norsii barbarians, and even the march of the Lord of the Undead, Nagash himself, whom Sigmar defeated in single-combat at the gates of Reikdorf. Upon the last year of his rule, Sigmar rose up from his throne and left the Empire, heading eastwards towards the World's Edge Mountains, his broad shoulders swathed in bearskin, his blonde hair and long beard still tied in braids, and Ghal Maraz in his mighty hand. He was accompanied by a great wolf, his visage a grim mask of determination. Whatever the truth of these legends, the simple fact remained: the Father of the Empire had gone. Within a generation after his passing, the people of his Empire clamoured around a wild-eyed friar named Johann Helstrum who proclaimed that he had borne witness to a vision of Ulric himself placing the crown of godhood upon Sigmar's brow and elevating him to join the company of the divine. Thus was born the Cult of Sigmar; men claiming that their Lord had not fallen in the East, but had ascended boldly to rule the heavens -- a new god, one born of mortal origins, but destined to protect his people so long as his Empire stood.

Two millennia hence, Sigmar has become the most widely worshiped deity in the Empire; his cult overshadowing all others in power and influence, being rivaled only by the ancient cult of Ulric. He is said to constantly battle the Dark Gods, and those of his followers who fall in his service are said to find their way to his side and to aid him in that struggle. He is a harsh warrior-god, demanding strength from his worshipers. Not only of sinew, but of spirit. In his divine, all-seeing wisdom, Sigmar sees the unholy threats assailing his people from within and without, and thus channels his divine power into his champions: the Sigmarite Warrior-Priests. The soldiers of the Empire, resolute in their faith, stand strong against all peril, and need only hear the recitations of the verses of the Holy Deus Sigmar to drive them to unequaled acts of bravery. However, it falls to the Clergy of the Sigmarite church to minister to the spiritual health of the Empire, and to contend with its foes who work towards its destruction on the spiritual and magical planes. In the end, Sigmar's prayers are calls to war, his hymns the clash of arms, and his benedictions the smiting of his foes. The Emperors of Sigmar's realm are seen as his representatives on earth. The cult teaches that to be loyal to the Emperor and to the other leaders of the Empire is to be loyal to Sigmar himself, and that the Emperor's ownership of Sigmar's legendary warhammer, Ghal Maraz, marks him as the representative and embodiment of the god on earth. Though all versions of the legend of Sigmar's passing agree that he took the legendary Dwarfen artefact with him, leaving only his iron crown and scepter to whoever would prove his successor. Though many heresies have arisen in the past regarding the authenticity of the hammer, it is the resolute position of the Sigmarite Orthodoxy as well as the Imperial government, that the mighty rune-encrusted warhammer currently in the keeping of Emperor Karl Franz is indeed the same, god-like weapon wielded by the founder and patron of the Empire.

Birth and Early Life
In the Imperial Calendar (IC), which bases its starting date upon the coronation of Sigmar by the Ar-Ulric, Sigmar is believed to have been born -30 IC, in what is now the northern areas of the Reikland, ruled by the Unberogen tribe; one of the most powerful tribes of ancient times, rivalled only by the Teutogens and the Chaos-worshiping Norsii to their north. His father was the legendary warrior-king, Bjorn Unberogen, his mother the queen of the Unberogen, Griselda. The birth of the royal son was a cause for much celebration amongst the Unberogen, and Bjorn ordered great feasting to be held to honour the gods for this blessing, while wise men came from all around the Unberogen holdings to speak of the portents they had witnessed that would affect the child's birth. In the end, however, it was when one of wise men had gutted a hare and read its entrails that the truth of any signs became apparent; for it was found that with the coming of childbirth, both mother and son would die. Pale with fear, Bjorn gathered his trusted bodyguard to journey to the domain of the Hag Woman of Brackenwalsch -- an ancient seeress who alone had the knowledge to save the family of the Unberogen king.

Usually, no man would dare the Brackenwalsch, for it was a place of fear and darkling things, and some said its path led to to the dark realms of Chaos. Here, they abandoned the cart they had placed the pregnant mother in, for it was much too difficult to drive such through the treacherous ground of the marsh. The Unberogens came to the center of the marsh, where the Hag Mother was said to reside, they found nothing but her shack and cauldron. They startled when they saw blue eyes staring at them from the broth, and when they noticed the chewed bones strewn about the abode. The Hag had been boiled alive in her own cauldron, it seemed, and devoured by Orcs.

From all sides, the Greenskins came, howling, drawn by the cries of Griselda and the scent of fresh blood. Bjorn roared, and smashed into the ranks of the Orcs as only a man defending his loved ones could, laying all about him with his mighty axe; Soultaker, and slaying Orcs in heaps of corpses. The largest of the Orcs, a massive beast with yellowed tusks, with human lands hanging from each earlobe, threw himself against Bjorn. Man and Orc, fiercest of enemies, in the end, Bjorn triumphed over the warlord when he plunged his dagger into the beast's throat. Seeing their warlord die, the other Orcs broke and fled. The Unberogens had triumphed, yet the cost was too great. 7 of Bjorn's 12 bodyguards lay slain, and it was too late to save his woman. Bjorn rushed to her side, only to find her dead from blood loss, weeping, he nonetheless spied an infant stirring at her feet, wallowing in the mingled blood of Human and Orc. Sorrowful at the death of his love, yet overjoyed at the birth of his son, the grieving king raised the infant into the air as a mighty peal of thundered cracked the sky and a great comet lit the night with twin, fiery tails. Thus was born Sigmar Unberogen, who had entered the world with the sound of battle in his ears and the feel of Orcish blood upon his flesh.

The years went on, and Sigmar grew to become a fierce and strong warrior. Before he had reached even the cusp of manhood, he was already a capable and respected fighter, bringing much pride to his father. He forged long-lasting friendships with three fellow tribesmen -- Wolfgart, Pendrag and Trinovantes. These three warriors would eventually become his sword-brothers, and would follow him on his path to unite the tribes.

One summer, on the day before his tenth year, Sigmar sparred against Wolfgart. The latter was three years older, as well as taller and stronger, and defeated the Unberogen prince. Incensed at his humiliation, Sigmar swung the smelting hammer he used as his weapon when Wolfgart's back was turned, breaking the older boy's arm. At the sight of his friend's agony, Sigmar's rage was swept away and replaced with horror at what he had done, and it was then he was taken by his father and taught an important piece of wisdom. "All men feel anger, but to become a great leader you must master it", the mighty king said. "Today you vented your anger upon one who did not deserve it. Learn to direct your strength for the good of your people, not their ill". With that, Bjorn set Sigmar upon his Dooming Day, where he would stand amidst the tombs of his fathers and hear their wisdom, that he might learn to forge his future as king. Within those tombs, he offered up a bull's heart in honour of Morr. Behind him, the portal through which he had entered had been sealed by a boulder. Trapped, Sigmar made a prayer to mighty Ulric and his his honoured ancestors, offering them all that he was if they would save him perishing unfulfilled.

The future king spied a shaft of light breaking through the dark rock, exerting his already fearsome strength, young Sigmar nudged the great boulder blocking his escape away. He staggered away from the Halls of his Ancestors, a thanks to Ulric on his lips. He reached the summit of the hill and beheld with clarity the lands of his fathers in their full. What he saw made his heart balk.

Sigmar beheld the frailty and uncertainty. He saw men huddle together, forever afraid, forever vulnerable. Scattered villages like merciful islands spread out amidst a sea of darkness, and enemies drawing ever closer. He saw the disparate nature of the sons of Men, the inherent weakness born of jealousy, distrust and ambition. He remembered his rage and the crack as Wolfgart's arm broke under his assault, and in that unworthy act he saw the doom of Men. With the voices of his honoured forefathers whispering in his ears, and the courage of Ulric swelling in his breast, Sigmar knew what he had to do.

Sigmar stepped into his destiny without hesitation: his mission to unite the tribes of men into an everlasting Empire, born on the foundations of strength and honour. On that day, the Heldenhammer was born.

Forging the Man
"Mighty is Sigmar, who saves a Dwarf king from dishonour. How can I reward him? A hammer of war, a hammer of Iron, which fell from the sky with two tongues of fire. From the Forge of the Gods. Worked by Runesmiths, Ghal Maraz its name, the Splitter of Skulls."

- The Legend of Sigmar

The years went by, and Sigmar grew yet more fearsome -- his vision of a united, prosperous and mighty future for his people driving him on. In time, he grew to be the greatest warrior of the Unberogen, even before attaining his shield in battle. At the age of fifteen, Sigmar led a retaliatory raid upon a Greenskin tribe in retribution for their prior attack on an Unberogen holding. The chieftain of these beasts was a mighty Black Orc Warboss known as Vagraz Headstomper.

The Unberogen warriors cornered the Orcish warband,

Trivia

 * The name "Sigmar" is an old Frankish name which means "famous by victory".
 * Sigmar draws inspiration from various great European leaders throughout medieval history -- such as Karl the Hammer, Emperor Charlemagne and King Alfred the Great.
 * The titles of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 directly refer to Sigmar's Ghal Maraz.
 * Sigmar is depicted with heterochromia in the award-winning Legend of Sigmar trilogy by Graham McNeill; one of his eyes are blue, while the other is green.
 * Sigmar owned three pet hounds.
 * The Imperial Calendar does not start with the year when Sigmar was born, but the year he became the first Emperor, when he was in his 30's and united all the tribes of Men.

Source

 * The Life of Sigmar (Background Book) pg. 6 - 18, 19 - 22, 23 - 34, 35 - 39, 40 - 48, 49 - 56, 57 - 82, 83 - 86, 87 - 98
 * Heldenhammer (Novel) by Graham McNeill
 * Empire' (Novel) by Graham McNeill
 * God-King' (Novel) by Graham MceNill
 * Let the Great Axe Fall (Short Story) by Graham McNeill
 * Birth of a Legend (Short Story) by Gav Thorpe
 * Tome of Blessings (RPG) pg 15
 * Signs of Faith (RPG) pg. 4 - 6, 13
 * Tome of Salvation (RPG) pg. 55
 * Sigmar's Heirs (RPG) pg. 11 - 14
 * Warhammer Fantasy Rulebook (8th Edition) pg. 170 - 172, 174 - 179, 180 - 185
 * Armybook: Empire (5th Edition) pg. 4 - 5
 * Armybook: Empire (6th Edition) pg. 16
 * Armybook: Empire (7th Edition) pg. 52
 * Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition Core Rulebook (RPG)
 * Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition Core Rulebook (RPG)
 * Witch Hunter's Handbook (Background Book) pg. 7 - 9

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