"When the hounds of the wastes bay at Morrslieb, the foul moon bays back."
The green Chaos moon of Morrslieb in the night sky of the world of Mallus.
Morrslieb (meaning "Beloved of Morr" in Old Reikspiel), also called the "Dark Moon," the "Chaos Moon," the "Green Moon," the "foul moon",[16a], the "warpmoon,"[16c] Morskrit by the Skaven, Ghyranek among the Northmen, the "Black Moon" among Norscans and Sariour na Yenlui by the Elves[21a], is the green moon of the Known World, and the dark twin of white Mannslieb. It has an erratic cycle, unpredictably appearing smaller or larger in the sky.[1a][1b]
In times of disaster, some claim to see a mocking, grinning, twisted face appear on its surface. Morrslieb's appearance is believed to herald great misfortune when it appears close to the surface of the world.[1a][1b] Its glow has been described as an absence of luminiscience, more darkness than light,[18a] with some dubbing its shine "Morrslight."[20a]
Hexenstag and Geheimnistag mark the only times in the year when both Mannslieb and Morrslieb are full. Before sundown on those days, animals are brought in to shelter, and folk huddle in their homes, hanging up charms to ward away evil. Even the streets of Altdorf, capital of the Empire, usually thronging at all hours, are empty from dusk to dawn on Hexensnacht ("Witching Night") and Geheimnisnacht ("Night of Mystery").[1b] In certain areas where the touch of Chaos is strong, like the Barren Hills, Morrslieb appears to the inhabitants as perpetually full.[22a]
The grinning green moon of Morrslieb rises to illuminate the night of the Known World with its sickly glow. Its closeness to the world indicates that the barrier between the material world and the Realm of Chaos grows thin.
On these ill-omened nights, Morrslieb's sickly green light bathes the land, and Dark Magic collects in invisible pools of stagnant evil. Its influence can corrupt flesh, mutate the unborn, and inspire madness and murder. The veil between this world and the next is thin at these times, and many people experience strange and prophetic dreams.[1b]
Beastmen howl in the forests and the dead stir awake. Necromancers, Vampires, and evil sorcerers walk abroad, and Chaos Cultists sacrifice to the Dark Gods. It is not unknown for individuals, families, or even the entire population of a village to mysteriously vanish overnight, never to be seen again.[1b]
There are hints that there may be lifeforms native to the Dark Moon. Moonclaw is said to have been born from a warpstone meteorite that came down during Geheimnisnacht and has a strong connection to the Chaos Moon.[4c] The Daemon Prince Be'lakor once claimed to have ruled over Morrslieb as a god.[13a] The spectral ship Shadewraith is claimed to have sailed seas upon Morrslieb's surface.[19a]
History[]
Origins[]
Ancient myth has it that when the magical energies of Chaos first broke through into the Known World through the Old Ones' Polar Gates, an enormous chunk of warpstone was hurled high into the sky from the destruction of the gates, where it now circles endlessly to this day as the green moon, spreading Chaos on the lands over which it passes.[6a]
The ancient records of the Lizardmen and the testimony of various Daemons active during that period lend credence to the theory that this is actually what happened.[6a]
A Cheesy Goal[]
After the formation of the Skaven Council of Thirteen, the first target of the Skaven offensive was the farthest away -- the sickly green-tinted moon that Men called Morrslieb. Since the Skaven first emerged from their lairs millennia ago, they had gazed upon this second orb -- the "warpmoon" -- with awe. Its pallid, pulsing light held an unholy allure, a draw that only the true children of Chaos could feel.[16c]
Many years later, in a different age of the mortal world, the Skaven's Warlock-Engineers began to theorise that the second moon was made of pure warpstone. They had been tracking the coveted warpstone meteors that rained from the sky and traced their fiery contrails back to their point of origin. As their inventors refined their optics, they eventually created a far-seeing scope that confirmed their suspicions -- the warpstone meteorites were indeed coming from the warpmoon.[16c]
By then, the quest to reach the moon had already become an obsession among the upper clans of the ratmen. Skaven crave that weirdly glowing substance with a maniacal greed beyond the comprehension of the other, saner intelligent species of Mallus.[16c]
The Skaven have, at least on two occasions, attempted to extract portions of warpstone directly from the face of the Green Moon. The first attempt was in 1111 IC, when the Grey Lord Skrittar loosed a bounty of warpstone shards from Morrslieb, which he attempted to collect the following year. Maliss Manrack also attempted something similar, using Clan Skryre's infamous warpstone-based technology. However, Manrack's invention, the Moonbreaker Cannon, ultimately was destroyed.[17a]
End Times[]
During the End Times, the Order of the Grey Seers pulled the Chaos Moon closer to the mortal world using a magical ritual. This ritual allowed the Verminlords, the Daemons of the Horned Rat who are typically bound to that minor Chaos God's Realm of Ruin in the Realm of Chaos, to enter and wander the mortal world without needing to be summoned by a Grey Seer. As such, the Daemonic Shadow Council of Thirteen was able to come and go as it pleased between the mortal plane and the Realm of Chaos.[16c]
Then Clan Skryre decided to destroy Morrslieb, hoping to send its debris crashing down upon the Lizardmen's temple-cities. However, its fall inadvertently killed the rest of the Skaven species in the process, along with the population of the entire New World continent of Lustria.[16b]
Morrslieb among Chaos[]
A Major Arcana tarot card depicting Purple Hand Chaos Cultists gathering to worship under Morrslieb's malevolent light.
Beastmen[]
The Beastmen have a strong connection to Morrslieb, which they call the "Chaos Moon," celebrating its course through the sky and holding great and vile celebrations when the Dark Moon shines full.[4a] Bray-Shamans always conduct their foul rites in the light of Morrslieb.[4b]
Daemons of Chaos[]
Morrslieb's state in the sky indicates the metaphysical closeness of the Realm of Chaos and the mortal world. When Morrslieb is full, the Winds of Magic blow stronger, allowing daemonic armies to manifest far more to the south of the Northern Wastes than their usual range. [15a]
Warriors of Chaos[]
Among the Tribes of Chaos, specifically the Khazags, Morrslieb is known as "Ghyranek", the green giver of life.[5a] When Ghyranek is full, the shamans of the Chaos tribes lead them in rituals to revere the Dark Gods.[5a] The Norscans instead call Morrslieb the "Black Moon."[7a] Chaos Cults in the Empire often practice their most important rites during times when Morrslieb is ascending. [15a]
Morrslieb among Elves[]
Every tenth year, the court of the High Elven Everqueen of Ulthuan embarks on a seaborne pilgrimage to keep back the slow encroachment of Morrslieb upon the world of Mallus. Fighting their way through the bizarre inhabitants of the Land of a Thousand Gods, the Everqueen sacrifices her moonblood at the Tower of the Sun in a great ritual that keeps the Chaos Moon at bay for another decade.[23a]
Morrslieb among Lizardmen[]
The Lizardmen call Morrslieb the "Chaos Moon" or the "false moon" and watch it closely. Its interaction with other celestial bodies is taken as an omen. [12a] At times, the Slann have undertaken efforts to destroy or diminish Morrslieb, often with the result of warpstone meteorites showering the earth with devastating effects. [12b]
The false moon is not subject to the universal physical laws held in such high regard by the Slann, for it orbits according to no fathomable pattern -- a source of unending consternation to the Slann and Skink Priests who still look to the stars to read the future. [12c]
Morrslieb among Mankind[]
Ancient Nehekhara[]
In the ancient realm of Nehekhara, Morrslieb was known as the "Green Moon" and associated with Sakhmet, the jealous concubine goddess of Ptra. The Nehekharans believed that Sakhmet was envious of the favour the Great Father had shown to the people of Nehekhara and that during the times when she managed to gain pre-eminence over Neru, the goddess of the moon, she would incite spirits and monsters against the people of the Great Land. [14]
The Empire[]
A popular legend in the Empire tells of a gateway in the sky through which Daemons emerged to prey on people. Morr, the god of the dead, destroyed this gate and created Morrslieb so that mortals would never forget that he had saved them from a fate worse than death.[1b]
Many superstitions exist in the Empire surrounding Morrslieb and its malign influences. Children are kept away from its light, since it is reported to bring misfortune and mutation.[3a] Morrslieb is only rarely used for tracking time, given his erratic course through the sky. [10a]
Morrslieb among Skaven[]
The Skaven call Morrslieb "Morskrit," the "Dark Moon."[7a] They correctly believe that the moon is made entirely out of warpstone. They also believe that when warpstone meteorites fall from the sky, it is a sign of their deity the Horned Rat rewarding his children.[9a] The Dark Moon plays an important role in the annual celebration of Vermintide, when Skaven of all the clans gather in the Under-Empire's capital of Skavenblight.[9a]
Morrslieb among Vampires[]
Vampires follow Morrslieb's course, since its fullness causes quicker accumulation of the Dark Magic needed for the practice of necromancy and makes raising the dead to unlife easier.[11a] Only when the dark moon is full can certain necromantic rites, like the creation of an Abyssal Terror, be conducted.[11b]
Sources[]
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