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Copher, called the "City of Spice," is one of the four great cities of Araby. Its surrounding lands form an independent principality ruled over by a monarch known as a sultan.[2a]

Copher is located to the west of Al-Haikk, on the north coast of the Bay of Corsairs.[2a]

History[]

The history of Copher dates back millennia, being one of the oldest cities in Araby,[10] formerly ruled by the mighty Gilded King of Copher.[16a] They remained a commercial ally of the High Elves for millennia, and trade never ceased to flow, even after their departure from Araby.[3a]

Wars of Death (-1149 IC)[]

Copher is so ancient to have witnessed the events of the Wars of Death in -1149 IC. And became a refuge from those that managed to fled from Bel-Aliad. Even the Vampire Neferate was among these unfortunate souls.[10]

Great Crusade Against Araby (1450 - 1451 IC)[]

Sacking of Copher[]

Millenia after those dark times another terrible event plagued Copher known as the Great Crusade Against Araby. As the Crusaders sailed, Jaffar and his men began preparations for the coming invasion. When they finally arrived in the major spice-trading city of Copher.[2b] During the ransack of the city both civilians and wounded soldiers were slain without quarter. Yet the grandmasters of the Righteous Spear agreed at the time that the killings at Copher constituted murder, not war, and warned their knights against the temptations of the dread god Khaine.[1a]

Jaffar foreseeing the attack on the city-port, withdrew to the vast city of Al-Haikk along with most of his army. He was confident that the Crusaders would lose their thirst for vengeance when they finished looting Copher and had to endure months of fighting and marching in the sweltering heat of Araby. It is true that the knights were unprepared for the realities of a desert campaign, or warfare in a hot climate, and the march from Copher to El-Haikk was long and arduous, and saw countless casualties en route. But Jaffar had not accounted for the honor at stake for the knights, or for the vows the crusaders had sworn in Estalia. If anything, the trials throughout the year en route to El-Haikk affirmed the righteousness of the expedition in the minds of the crusaders, and when finally they met the Sultan in battle they were more determined than ever before.[1a]

Shifting Sands of Hammurabi (1459 IC)[]

In 1459 IC, when the undead army of feared Tomb King Philzhar the Scarab Lord unexpectedly withdrew from the gate of Copher and marched into the desert the crusading order of the Knights Jaguar pursued with zealous ferocity. For a day and night the Knights galloped after the Undead army which always managed to stay ahead of them like a mirage on the horizon, just out of reach. For two days they gave chase, across the barren rocky lands. Eventually the dust clouds of the enemy chariots led them into a narrow sandy valley, sandstone cliffs rising sharply on either side. At the other end of the canyon stood the Scarab Lord's army in battle formation.[2a]

The Grand Master ordered his men from column of march into a battleline, preparing to attack. He had Philzhar at bay, trapped with nowhere to run. The Scarab Lord's reign of terror was soon to be ended.[2a]

Then, as the Knights prepared to charge, skeletal bands rose from the shifting sands grabbing at the horses' hoofs and making them rear and buck uncontrollably in fear. It was only then that the Jaguar Grand Master realised they had been led into a trap. This was no ordinary desert valley, but the cursed sands of Hammurabi, the place where in ancient times, or so legend has it, a mad King had ordered his entire army buried alive in underground tombs, so that they would accompany him into the afterlife.[2a]

Undead creatures began to rise from the sands robbing the honourable Knights of the charge and creating panic in the ranks. Philzhar's main force advanced on the already engaged Knights. A desperate retreat ensued. Eventually, after suffering heavy casualties, only a few of the Knights Jaguar managed to escape the valley. The Grand Master was last seen being dragged from his horse and vanishing beneath the sands.[2a]

The survivors fled to Copher with wild tales of a cursed valley and sands that came to life. Many of the survivor had been driven insane by the horror of the ambush and nobody believed their story. To this day the valley of Hammurabi remains a myth.[2a]

Fall of Copher[]

During the quest for the Eye of Osiris, the High Elven spice port of Copher came under attack -- the forces of darkness advanced upon them en masse. Row upon row of shambling skeletons came forth, led by Prince Imhotep, High Priest of Settra. The only thing that stood between them and the port's walls was a deep chasm. The High Elves' only hope was to use the crevasse to their advantage and try to slow down the unstoppable horde of Undead before reinforcements could arrive.[5a]

The Grand Vizier Scandal[]

In Copher, the discovery of the Grand Vizier Bhar's involvement in magical malfeasance led to his downfall and eventual flight from Araby. Although the details of his actions remain vague, his practices in necromancy likely involved dabbling in forbidden forms of chaos sorcery, causing alarm among the authorities in the city-port.[1a]

When his experiments or forbidden acts were discovered, Bhar fled to avoid capture, leaving Araby and taking refuge in the Imperial city of Middenheim. There, he continued his dark studies, becoming the leader of the Chaos cult Ordo Terribilis, which is allied with the Skaven. He now seeks to expand his power and restore the influence of the Purple Hand.[1a]

Notable Events[]

  • ca. -320 IC - Neferata tore Abdul ben Raschid apart in broad daylight in the Street of Booksellers after he refused to hand over his necromantic knowledge.[9a]
  • ca. -1149 IC - Wars of Death. After the sack of Bel Aliad many refugees find shelter in Copher, the Vampire Neferata is among them.[10]
  • 1459 IC - The Shifting Sands of Hammurabi. The feared Tomb King Philzhar the Scarab Lord led his undead army in a strategic withdrawal from Copher, drawing the crusading order of the Knights Jaguar into pursuit. After a relentless chase through barren lands, the Knights were lured into a narrow valley known as the cursed sands of Hammurabi. There, undead forces concealed within the sands ambushed the Knights, thwarting their charge and causing panic among their ranks. Philzhar's army closed in, resulting in a desperate retreat and heavy casualties for the Knights Jaguar. Only a few survivors managed to escape the cursed valley, returning to Copher with harrowing tales that were dismissed as madness. The valley of Hammurabi remains a myth to this day.[2a]
  • ca. 2502 IC - The Sultan of Copher hired the sorcerer, Shihab Ibn Alim to investigate who was sinking so many of his vessels. He spies on the Knights of Magritta, as they could be responsible.[6a]

Notable Locations[]

Harbour[]

The blood-stained history of repeated errantry wars centres around the docks of Copher, where countless invasions into these lands have begun.[12]

Tilean Quarter[]

In Copher there is now a Tilean neighborhood, which is separated from the rest of the city by a wall. It is the merchants of Tilea who do the greatest volume of Old World trade with Araby. While the Imperials consider Tilean princes to be simple pretentious merchants, the Arabyans love to trade with the Tilean merchants, with whom they have an excellent relationship.[4a]

The secret Order of the Knights of Magritta has spies in the Tilean Quarter, but the Grand Master Enzo Moretti is one of the few that even bothers to read their reports, as none of the leaders of the Order truly want a new crusade to Araby.[6a]

Dwarf Quarter[]

There are also small enclaves of merchants from other kingdoms and races, such as "the Street of the Hundred Dwarfs", which is well known for its bazaars of blacksmiths and gunsmiths.[4a]

Elf Quarter[]

High Elves Trade Map (5th)

Trade route of the High Elves of Ulthuan with Copher.

The High Elves have maintained a mercantile presence in Copher and Lashiek since time immemorial.[3a] They also have their own neighborhood in the city, where they carry out their commercial and diplomatic functions.[4a]

From Al-Haikk and Copher's enclaves, Elves trade rare goods, spices, and artifacts from the Southlands.[19a]

Street of Booksellers[]

A street famous for shops selling myriad tomes and books.[9a]

Knights of the Gleaming Shield Chapterhouse[]

The Knights of the Gleaming Shield is a smaller crusading sub-orders of the Order of the Blazing Sun. Their members are tasked with embodying the spirit of its parent order, but with certain alterations intended to make them more admirable in the eyes of the different cultures within which it operates.[13a]

Notable Persons[]

  • Golden Magus - Some rumours claim that this pirate is the reincarnation of the Gilded King of Copher.[7a]
  • Layla of Copher - A Vampire also known as the Silver Princess, claimed to come from this city.[8a]
  • Vizier Bahr - Bahr was the former Vizier of Copher. A talented Necromancer, the Vizier fled Araby after his magical malfeasances were exposed.[11a]

Sources[]

  • 1: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Tome of Salvation (RPG)
    • 1a: pg. 199
  • 2: Citadel Journal 43
    • 2a: pg. 16
    • 2b: pg. 3
  • 3: Warmaster: Armies (Specialist Game)
    • 3a: pg. 48
  • 4: Warhammer Armies: Dogs of War (5th Edition)
    • 4a: pg. 89
  • 5: White Dwarf 244
    • 5a: pp. 88-89
  • 6: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Shades of the Empire
    • 6a: pp. 92-94
  • 7: Dreadfleet (Specialist Game)
    • 7a: pp. 52-53
  • 8 Warhammer Armies: Vampire Counts (7th Edition)
    • 8a: pg. 81
  • 9: Neferata (Novel) by Josh Reynolds
    • 9a: Ch. 20 pg. 267
  • 10: The Fangs of the Asp (Short Story) by Josh Reynolds
  • 11: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Power Behind the Throne (RPG)
  • 12: Total War: Warhammer II (PC Game)
  • 13: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Up in Arms (RPG)
  • 14: The Blades of Chaos (Novel) by Gav Thorpe
  • 15: Town Cryer 6
  • 16: Dreadfleet (Specialist Game)
  • 17: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Sea of Claws (RPG)
  • 18: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Careers Compendium (RPG)
  • 19: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: High Elf Players Guide (RPG)