Nicodemus' call for employment in Mordheim.
Nicodemus was a powerful Hedge Wizard who fought in the ruins of the city of Mordheim as a mercenary in search for warpstone he needed to prevent his mutation of abnormal physical growth from progressing.[2a]
History[]
Nicodemus was a promising apprentice to the powerful Hedge Wizard Ganthrandir. During one of his master's many absences, Nicodemus felt the irresistible pull of one of the arcane artifacts in the wizard's laboratory, an exotic magic lantern. This artefact, which had been created when the mortal world was still young, had the essence of a powerful Daemons of Chaos trapped within it.[2a]
When his master retired and left him in charge, the elder wizard had warned his protege numerous times not to touch that dangerous lantern, but the voice in the young wizard's mind was far more compelling than that of his mentor. One day, he heard a voice from the lantern say, "Free me." "Set me free and I will grant you what you desire most. Anything you wish for can be yours! I have the power to make your dreams come true! Set me free ..." Nicodemus had some knowledge of how to deal with the Daemons of the Realm of Chaos, so he immediately asked, "Do you swear to me in the name of the power you serve?" After a few moments of silence the voice replied: "I swear it in the name of my Lord!"; so the ambitious but naive young wizard was convinced and proceeded to break the runic seals on the lantern.[2a]
"Finally free!" the Daemon's voice roared as it emerged from its prison amid an oscillating, multi-colored spiral of smoke. Next, the smoke seemed to condense into what vaguely looked like the shape of a gigantic humanoid creature with a bird's head on the end of a long, flexible neck and great wings of iridescent light. The Daemon looked at the Human, and Nicodemus, controlling his fear, yelled: "The wish! You must grant me the wish as you have sworn!" . The powerful Chaos creature smiled enigmatically and asked, "And what is this wish, human?"[2a]
Fighting hard against the instincts that pushed him to flee as far as possible from this alien abomination, Nicodemus expressed his wish: "I wish to become the greatest sorcerer of Humanity!"[2a]
A very few heartbeats later, the Daemon's fiery gaze stopped staring at the wizard: "Granted!" whispered the Daemon, which with a slight evil click disappeared into the Aethyr from which it came.[2a]
Nicodemus saw no immediate change, and he wondered if he had really granted the wish. One thing was clear to him, he could not continue there any longer, because without a doubt his master would not be satisfied with his actions. Therefore, Nicodemus collected his belongings and fled, thus beginning his wandering journey through the Old World.[2a]
It wasn't until a few weeks after that fateful day that Nicodemus realised the Daemon's deception. His body was growing abnormally fast. He was a centimeter taller than the week before, and his body was growing proportionately larger. He had asked to be the greatest sorcerer! The cunning Daemon had granted his most literally! Nicodemus had learned that one must be extremely careful with what one said when enunciating a magical wish, but the terror caused by the presence of the Daemon had been stronger than his training. Now he was doomed to live with his mistake.[2a]
From that day on, Nicodemus' life was an uninterrupted and desperate search for a way to deny the curse of his unstoppable growth. The only known remedy he found was a powerful potion prepared by a wise hermit that he found in the Mountains at the End of the World. This potion delayed the effects of the power of the Daemon and became something vital in the life of the wizard. Unfortunately for Nicodemus, it was necessary to regularly take an infusion of warpstone to ensure the potion's efficacy. Therefore, Nicodemus was forced to go to the place in the world where the greatest concentration of this extraordinary substance existed at the time in which he lived: Mordheim, the City of the Damned.[2a]
Nicodemus' abilities were tested and advanced defending himself on the dark streets of Mordheim, making him a legend among the many gangs fighting for supremacy in the ruins of that city. No one knew where or when he would appear again, or with whom he would collaborate in his eternal search for precious warpstone. Nicodemus was not interested in money, but instead desperately needed to find a constant source of warpstone to retard his abnormal growth.[2a]
Miniatures[]
Trivia[]
Nicodemus of Mordheim's name is based on that of Nicodemus, a Jewish Pharisee who listened to Jesus of Nazareth's teachings rather than condemning him like most of his sect.
Sources[]
- 1: White Dwarf 51
- 2: Empire in Flame (Specialist Game)