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. Sigmar's name is a rallying cry for the enemies of Chaos, lending strength to those who would seek to keep them from consuming all that exists.

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 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 locked in mortal combat. In the end, Bjorn triumphed over the warlord when he plunged his dagger into the beast's throat. Seeing their leader die, the other Orcs broke and fled. The Unberogens had triumphed, yet the cost was great. 7 of Bjorn's 12 bodyguards lay slain, and it was too late to save his woman. Bjorn rushed to Griselda's 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 King
"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.

By chance, the Orcish warband had made prisoners of the then High-King of the Dwarfs, Kurgan Ironbeard, as well as his kinsmen, as they were on route to meet with the Stoneheart Dwarf clan of the south. The Unberogens cornered the Orcs, unwittingly coming to the rescue of the Dwarfs as well. This meeting would be a turning point in Man's history. In the battle that transpired, Kurgan Ironbeard bore witness to this young, human prince facing down the Black Orc. Despite young Sigmar's mighty strength, every killing blow his bronze sword had made was turned aside by the armour of the Orc, and every blow from its flaming axe came all too close to ending his young life. Ironbeard broke free of his bonds and fought his way to Vagraz's tent, where he kept his pick of the Dwarf King's possessions. Including the mighty hammer Ghal-Maraz, the Splitter of Skulls.

Kurgan threw the hammer towards Sigmar, cursing the Orcs with every curse known to Dwarfkind. Sigmar caught the ancient weapon and the tide turned for the Unberogen. Sigmar assaulted the Orc with mighty strikes of his hammer, the fury of his blows bringing the hulking beast down to a single knee. With the final strike, Sigmar smashed the Orc's skull to bloody shards. A mighty feat, even for a warrior wielding a weapon forged with Dwarfen skill. With the close of the battle, their holdings avenged, Sigmar attempted to return the hammer to the High King. In that moment, a historical act came about, one unheard of in all the annals of both Men and Dwarfs and forever forged an unbreakable bond of friendship between the men of the lands west of the mountains and the Dwarfen kingdom of Karaz Ankor -- King Kurgan Ironbeard gifted the ancient hammer Ghal-Maraz to Sigmar. It was a unique happening for a unique weapon; for the power of Ghal-Maraz is old, ancient even to the Dwarfs, and it is said of the weapon that it itself possesses a will of its own, and it actively chooses those who are to bear it into battle. Indeed, as fate would have it, the hammer was always Sigmar's, and had been waiting for the day the warrior would claim it. The Dwarfen King looked upon Sigmar and saw within him power, honour, courage and nobility without parallel, and knew that Ghal-Maraz was rightfully his, and he also reasoned that an ancient runic weapon was fitting payment for saving the life of a Dwarfen king. From then on, the Dwarfen nations and the Unberogen clans were the most steadfast of allies.

Earning his Shield
At the start of his 15th year, Sigmar was now charged with earning his shield. An important rite of passage for the men of the ancient tribes, as this symbolized the progression into full manhood. Sigmar would now lead a true army of his fellow tribesmen into battle against the enemies of the Unberogen. For once again, the Orcs of the mountains laid waste to the holdings of men, this time led by a warboss known as Bonecrusher. Sigmar had long stared death in the eye and smiled back at it, but the challenge before him made him fear. For Sigmar now had the lives of his fellow men in his hands, and was in a position to be judged by his fellow warriors. He had led men in battle before, but none of such magnitude as this. His father saw these things and assuaged him, telling him it was charge of men to face fear and overcome it, and that the same serpent had gnawed at his belly when Sigmar's grandfather, Redmane Dregor, had sent him out to earn his own shield. Bjorn had also told his son that he knew that his deeds would be legend one day, and that men would speak his name in awed whispers long after his passing. Presenting his son a bronze studded shield, Bjorn told him to either come back with it or upon it. Offering their blood sacrifices to Ulric, the Unberogens feasted and caroused, knowing that for many, tomorrow would be their final day.

The Unberogen rode to Astofen, and built a camp near the beleaguered town and sent scouts to learn of the enemy's position. The Orcish army was two-thousand strong in all and was led by a towering Orcish warboss clad in black armour with a massive war-axe, here was Grimgut Bonecrusher, who with a mighty throw of his weapon towards the Astofen gate, made the signal for the mob to begin the siege.

Sigmar and his warriors then rode down the slope of his hill, the warrior-prince had cast aside all armour to show his contempt for the Orcs. He held a great iron spear in one hand, and with a single throw of it he impaled two Orcs. The Orcs were caught unprepared by the cavalry charge, and their lines were bent back and made to waver. However, every Orc slain had another ready and eager to take its place, and for all the fury of the Unberogen charge, the Orcish line held. Pendrag led a company of horse-archers down another slope and met the Orcs on their other flank, hammering into them with arrow after arrow. This time however, the Orcs reacted, and their crude shield-wall broke to allow their warriors to chase the now retreating horsemen. Eventually the Orcs began to retake their lost ground, and it was now that Sigmar revealed his true plan: With two blasts of a war-horn as the signal, Sigmar's warriors broke from the battlefield back to the warcamp, while another force of Unberogen warriors, serving as the army's rearguard, formed up at Astofen Bridge and readied their axes to face the onrushing Orc hordes. The Unberogens replaced their weapons and took up fresh remounts at the base, and then charged back to the fight without second thought, knowing their time was being bought with the blood of the friends and sword-brothers.

It was the noble Trinovantes who led the rearguard, fighting the Orcs as if the spirit of Ulric filled him on that battlefield. Many Orcs did he and his brave warriors slay, until they fell in heaps about them. However, the Unberogens were soon overwhelmed and Trinovantes was slain in single combat with Warboss Bonecrusher. Seeing his long-time ally die to the Orc warlord's axe, Sigmar let loose a howl of terrible rage as he closed in with the Orc, leaping from his saddle and swinging his hammer in a single, devastating arc that obliterated the Orc warlord's skull.

Purgation
Thus did Sigmar return to the Unberogen capital of Reikdorf (modern day Altdorf), draped in victory and glory, having broken a massive Orc army of 2000 strong and saved the village of Astofen from certain destruction. After interring the fallen, including brave Trinovantes, into the Warrior's Hill, the great tomb of the Unberogen, King Bjorn ordered a celebration of the victory. Unto this celebration came King Marbad of the Endals, a staunch ally to the Unberogen and Sword-Brother of King Bjorn. In the company of these two kings did Sigmar recount the deeds of the heroes of Astofen and his own vision of an Empire of Man. Of him, the Endal remarked he was at the very least courageous. However, Sigmar's meteoric rise to glory caused him to make enemies within the Unberogen tribe. Particularly the swordsman Gerreon, brother of Trinovantes, who harboured great hatred for Sigmar for, in his mind, leading his brother to his death by ordering him to make that distraction at Astofen Bridge.

Sigmar undertook a purging of the terrible Beastmen who dwelt in the expansive forests of the Unberogen lands, making the tribal holdings safe in the name of his father, the king. Slaying entire tribes of the beasts single-handed, and avenging their prior depredations on the villages of not only the Unberogens, but also of the other tribes. It was not only Beasts and other foul creatures Sigmar overcame, but also the warriors of the other tribes, as Teutogen raiders burned and pillaged northernmost Unberogen holdings, looting villages and stealing cattle. With the aid of the Dwarfs, particularly the legendary Forgemaster, Alaric the Mad, the Unberogens produced countless suits of fine iron armour and strong iron swords and axes to arm the Unberogen warriors. These weapons would later be integral to allowing the Unberogen to overcome the terror which charging down from the far north.

Slaughtering their way through Udoses tribal lands, and then making their way to burn and invade the lands of the Cherusens and Taleutens, the mighty Norsii emerged from their frozen kingdom to make all before them a sacrifice to the Dark Gods. The Cherusens and Taleutens put aside their long territorial rivalry to resist the Northmen, but not even the combined strength of two tribes could withstand the unquenchable fury of the Norsii hordes; not even the fierce Teutogens were willing to ride out against the Norsemen, and the power-hungry Artur elected to lie in wait until after the Norsii had annihilated his northern neighbours, desiring to take the lands of the Cherusens and Taluetens after the Norsii destroyed them for him. As the Teutogens would not dare risk themselves against the Norsii, the Cherusens and Taleutens were forced to look further south for succor. King Aloysis of the Cherusens, and King Krugar of the Taleutens, both sent their respective emissaries -- Ebrulf and Nokter to the court of King Bjorn, warning him of the peril to the north and beseeching the aid of the mighty Unberogens. In return, they offered the Sword-Oaths of their respective chieftains; an eternal oath of friendship and unconditional aid to King Bjorn if he would deliver them the terror of the Northmen. King Bjorn, after conferring with his advisors; the learned Eoforth and Alfgeir, Marshall of the Reik, agreed to aid the beleaguered tribes, knowing that after they had finished with the Cherusens and Taleutens, the Norsii would then sweep south unopposed, destroying all in their path, including the Unberogen.

Sigmar was not a part of the grand muster that followed, as his father had left him with the charge of protecting the land while many of the tribe's warriors were marching north. Ever the dutiful son, he worked to defend his father's kingdom, as well as train men to look to their own defence in times conflict, if he could not be there in time to protect them. Such was the case when Artur's Teutogens savagely raided the Unberogen town of Ubersreik. Sigmar swore by Ulric that when the warriors returned, he would make a terrible reckoning with the northern king.

In the north, the combined forces of the Taleutens, Cherusens and Unberogens fought the Norsii. Though the Norse were ferocious warriors of unparalleled strength and skill, their vicious might was countered by the superior numbers and discipline of the southern tribes. Despite this, the cost had been high to drive the Norsii back to their frozen kingdom across the seas, and many thousands of southern tribesmen had fallen to their fury, including King Bjorn himself, who was slain in single-combat with the Norsii king, a terrible Champion of Khorne clad in red-steel wielding a flaming sword.

With the death of his father, Sigmar ascended to leadership of the Unberogen. After a decade of ruling, Sigmar marched north with a massive army of Unberogen, calling upon the sworn oaths of King Krugar and King Aloysis and thus adding their own musters to his own. He had also endeavored to bring the Teutogens into this final push against the Norsii, but King Artur remained withdraw from such foreign affairs. Indeed, Teutogen raiders even waylaid Sigmar's army as they passed through the land of the Fauschlag. In the north, Sigmar lifted the Norsii siege of the Udoses capital and gained the support of King Wolfilla of the Udoses, who eagerly lent his own armies to aid in finally putting an end to the depredations of the raiders who so daily ravaged his people. Against the untold numbers of Sigmar's army, not even the ferocity of the Norsii could prevail, and they were decisively defeated and permanently driven from the Reik Basin to the land now known as Norsca. Using catapaults to smash their wolfships to kindling and slaughtering untold thousands of them, Sigmar had essentially carried out the death of an entire race -- thus avenging not only the death of his father, but also the fate of all the many thousands who had been slain by the Norsii invasions. The Norsii would later rebuild and continue to pose a great threat to the nascent Empire for many years in Sigmar's lifetime, however.

Uniting the Tribes
"The Fame and renown of Sigmar, hammer bearer of high king of the Dwarfs, spread far and wide. Sigmar the chief mighty lord of the Unberogen, and other tribes of mankind."

- The Legend of Sigmar

With the threat of the Norsii addressed for a time, Sigmar turned his attentions towards his dream of Empire. Through a string of heroic battles and tense negotiations, Sigmar succeeded in bringing the tribes under his rule. Having already gained the loyalty of Cherusen, Taleuten and Udoses, these alliances would provide the base for how he would bring the tribes together. The most famous incident of Sigmar's quest for unification is likely of how he finally brought the belligerent Teutogens to his banner. In part, this event was also fueled by the prior Teutogen raid on Ubersreik, as Sigmar had long desired to see Artur pay for that barbarous act.

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