"There is beyond this eternity another. An existence all of its own. It is dark as the mortal mind is dark, deep as the mortal heart is deep. This realm is sustained by the self. It is a spiritual plane made up of the thoughts and feelings, needs and beliefs of all the knowing races - the high born and the low things that walk the world with aims of it being their own. It gives back in the form of energies that leak into our world and are harnessed by the gifted in the form of magic and its many refractions. Entities beyond understanding inhabit this dark realm of spiritual energy, this sea of soulfire. They are the behemoths and great monsters of the depths, although our seven seas together are but a teardrop in the dry, dark ocean of the beyond. There they endure, drunk on power, bitter with impotence - curdling in the malefic nightmare of their own existence."
- —Caledor Dragontamer, Prophecies of Despair[5a]
Caledor Dragontamer and his coven of High Elf Archmages who maintain the Great Vortex on the Isle of the Dead as depicted in Total War: Warhammer II.
Caledor Dragontamer, known as Kalamn-Kavannaen ("Great Lord") among the Dragons,[6a] was one of the greatest High Elf Archmages of his age and the closest friend to the Phoenix King Aenarion of Ulthuan during the time of the Great Catastrophe, when the Old Ones' Polar Gates collapsed and the magical energies of the Realm of Chaos flooded the Known World, bringing legions of Daemons and mortal Chaos-worshippers in their wake.
Caledor and the rest of the Elves' archmages of that ancient time sacrificed themselves to banish the Chaos energies from the world of Mallus through the creation of the Great Vortex, and are currently trapped in the magical stasis at the heart of the Great Vortex that keeps the energies of Chaos at bay on the Isle of the Dead. Caledor and his fellow archmages are unable to die and unable to free themselves without undoing the work they wrought and so dooming the mortal world to destruction.
History[]
"Always so literal, Morathi. It is one of your greatest failings."
- —Caledor Dragontamer to Morathi on the Isle of the Dead[3a]
Caledor Dragontamer calls forth the Great Vortex to lower the levels of ambient magic present on Mallus and so save the mortal world from the first incursion of Chaos during the Great Catastrophe.
When Aenarion first defeated the forces of Chaos at the Shrine of Asuryan early in the Great Catastrophe, Caledor was among the first to proclaim him as the chosen champion of the creator god Asuryan. Together, Caledor and Aenarion made their way to the Anvil of Vaul, where with the Hammer of Vaul they forged the Great Weapons that would be used to combat the forces of Chaos, as well as artefacts such as the Dragon Armour of Aenarion. After forging the Great Weapons, Aenarion and Caledor sent out a call to the mightiest warriors of the Elves, and those who gathered at the Anvil under the banner of Aenarion were each gifted a Great Weapon, becoming the future ruling princes of Ulthuan.[Needs Source]
It was also at this time, during the first incursion of Chaos, that Caledor met with the Dwarf Ancestor Gods. A fleet of Elven warships, captained by Caledor, had been blown off course after a sea battle with a fleet of mortal Chaos-worshippers. Caledor had been searching the coasts of the Old World, hoping to find clues to the source of the Chaos that was destroying the mortal world. Instead, Caledor encountered a Dwarf army led by Grimnir himself, for they had pursued the remnants of a Daemon army and sought to slay the last of the foul Chaos entities.[7a]
It was a pivotal moment in the history of the Known World, as one of the greatest and most subtle High Elf Archmages of all time met the brutal and mighty incarnate warrior god of the Dwarfs. What Grimnir made of the tall and haughty Elf mage is not recorded, nor is what Caledor thought of the tattooed Dwarf warlord. Both realised that they were not enemies, and the matter was settled when a force of Beastmen attacked. After a hastily agreed alliance, the foe was shattered by the combined might of Grimnir's axes and Caledor's spells.[7a]
When the forces of Chaos returned, Caledor Dragontamer had a falling out with his friend, Aenarion, as he urged him not to draw the Sword of Khaine. The great mage foretold that drawing the sword would cause great sorrow to the Asur and to all of Aenarion's line. While Aenarion carried on the bloody fight against the forces of Chaos, Caledor Dragontamer set up a plan to use the ancient waystones (focus points of magical energy) around Ulthuan to drain off the Chaos energy of the Aethyr which was spewing into the mortal world from the collapsed Warp Gates at the poles, enabling the horrific entities of the Realm of Chaos such as Daemons to manifest in the physical world with ease and assault the Elves.[Needs Source]
Unfortunately, the energy required was so great (despite the Slann in Lustria lending their powers to the effort) that it trapped inside the Great Vortex all the archmages of Ulthuan, Caledor included, while Aenarion gave his life buying time battling a great Chaos warhost for the plan to succeed. The plan eventually created the Great Vortex on the Isle of the Dead at the centre of Ulthuan which drains magical energy from the world. However, the plan was only partially successful, as while the Chaos energy is drained away, it continues to spill from the Realm of Chaos, particularly in the Chaos Wastes of the Warhammer World. And, as if the outcome were some horrible joke of the gods, for their success in saving the world, Caledor and the rest of the High Elf mages were trapped inside the Vortex, unable to die but perhaps suffering a fate worse than death: eternal, timeless imprisonment.[Needs Source]
Caledor is said to have made magical amulets for the first Everqueen Astarielle's children, Yvraine and Morelion.[4b]
Wargear[]
- Bagdelredner - Bagdelredner was a powerful Dwarf rune amulet given to Caledor Dragontamer by the Dwarfs' Ancestor God Grimnir as a token of the alliance forged between the Elves and the Dwarfs in fighting against the first incursion of Chaos into the Known World during the Great Catastrophe. In return, the High Elf archmage gave to Grimnir the Crystal of Fire.[7a]
Appearance[]
During the Great Catastrophe, Caledor Dragontamer was depicted as ghostly pale, his skin near translucent. The meat of his muscles wriggled on his skull, and his eyes were black coal, devoid of life and sanity as he confronted the sorceress Morathi. Indeed, Morathi claims he was once a fine specimen of an Elf, who was tall, broad-shouldered and handsome. To this, Caledor admitted he was reminded every day of how deathly he looked, saying he thought his appearance amused "Him." When Morathi asked whom Caledor meant, he replied: "Death."[3a]
Later, Caledor rejuvenated himself using the released magic of the Great Vortex. His gaunt frame filled out with powerful muscle and youthful flesh. His face bloomed with vitality until he was a High Elf in the prime of his life. Eyes that were once black and dead were now sparkling and green, flecked with gold and silver. His lips were full and lush, his hair regrown to its youthful lustre. His voice commanded respect from Elf, Man, and Dragon alike.[3b]
Sources[]
- Warhammer Armies: High Elves (4th Edition), pp. 7-18
- Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs (4th Edition), pp. 7-8
- 3: Sons of Ellyrion (Novel) by Graham McNeill
- 4: Sword of Caledor (Novel) by William King
- 5: Archaon: Lord of Chaos (Novel) by Rob Sanders
- 5a: Ch. 9
- 6: The War of Vengeance: Master of Dragons (Novel) by Chris Wraight
- 6a: Ch. 2
- 7: Warhammer Fantasy Role Play 1st Edition: Stone & Steel (RPG)
- 7a: pp. 4-5